The Company of the North American tour of CLUE – photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
Whodunit? The ultimate question pops into Baltimoreans’ heads as “Clue: A New Comedy” hits The Hippodrome Theatre this week. Based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn and Hasbro board game CLUE, this touring production brings the familiar cast of characters to life in a truly hilarious and outrageous staged play.
I’ll admit, I didn’t have any idea who the killer might be until the show progressed and provided increasingly more tips to the audience. Once I did start to catch on, though, I felt that it was a bit too obvious. That was until about six different plot twists unfolded in a backpedaling sequence that made me question each hypothesis I had and end the show with my jaw dropped.
Each of the characters in this show had their own distinctive quirks and attributes that allowed them to exude the energy of a character in a game. Mike Price (Wadsworth) was the momentum behind the show and lots of its humor as the narrator and main character, but John Shartzer (Mr. Green) had a particular charm of his own with his exaggerated movements that were reminiscent of a Scooby-Doo character. Michelle Elaine (Miss Scarlet) was also a standout, controlling the stage with her confidence and comedic timing as she added jokes during serious group interactions.
I was particularly impressed with the clever set design that made the stage truly feel like a game board as characters moved through the various square-shaped rooms of Boddy Manor, each seamlessly sliding in and out of the mansion’s main frame. The brilliant use of lighting and sound elevated the show’s hilarity as the entire auditorium lit up with flashes of lightning shining through the windows of the mansion and claps of thunder rumbling the audience in our seats.
This comedy is a true delight for people of all ages as they laugh their way through a story and try to solve the age old question: whodunit? While I can’t provide any tips on how to solve this case, I can say that murder is definitely on the menu and you will be dying of laughter as you keep attempting to guess who the culprit is.
Clue: A New Comedy runs at The Hippodrome in Baltimore through Sunday, May 12th. For more information on the tour schedule, please visit www.clueliveonstage.com/about.
Grade: A
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