The Company of the North American tour of CLUE – photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
The Kennedy Center gets a lot of substantial, meaty pieces of theater on its stages, and Clue, well . . . it’s more of a fluffy, sugary dessert. But, hey, who doesn’t want dessert? With the exception of the woman sitting next to me (who miraculously failed to crack a smile the entire show), an appreciative audience continuously roared with laughter throughout this delightfully campy whodunnit
spectacle.
Based on the 1985 Paramount movie (as well as the classic board game of the same name), Clue is set in a “manor of epic proportions” and against a backdrop of 1954 McCarthyism—where each and every guest at a mysterious dinner party is hiding something they’d quite rather the authorities don’t discover. Which one of these secrets might be worth protecting at all costs is exactly the question the audience considers as bodies start stacking up in a grisly (well, hilariously-grisly) series of murders.
Was it Mrs. Peacock (Joanna Glushak), prone to shrieking hysterics that sound an awful lot like her namesake? Or perhaps Colonel Mustard (John Treacy Egan), whose deadpan delivery of hyper-literal interpretations of questions directed his way might belie a calculating murderer? Or maybe Miss Scarlet (Christina Anthony), whose chosen profession has left her, err, well acquainted with many of the male dinner guests.
John Shartzer and Tari Kelly in the North American tour of CLUE – photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
Standouts in the cast include Mr. Green (John Shartzer) and Wadsworth (Mark Price), the butler. Shartzer’s crisp physicality enthralled the audience, and particularly in slow-motion scenes involving complex contortions. Price expertly carries the show’s plot, ushering dinner guests from room to room and keeping them guessing with energetic antics, voices, and a truly impressive 60 second recap of the entire plot toward the end of the show.
Any good murder mystery needs a healthy helping of surprises and things going bump in the night. Clue has that in spades, greatly enhanced by a brilliant set by Lee Savage, which allows various rooms of the manor to appear and disappear in seconds and leaves plenty of places to hide dead bodies. The spooky nature of the manor’s nooks and crannies are furthered by excellent lighting design by Ryan O’Gara, who is able to conjure storms and allow the audience to see in the dark so that we don’t miss any of the on-stage antics. The latter part is especially helpful in instances where the sound mixing makes it occasionally hard to hear some of the quick-witted dialogue.
Without revealing who actually “dunnit,” I’d highly recommend: YOU, at the Kennedy Center, with a ticket to Clue.
FINAL GRADE: A-
Clue – Live on Stage is playing at the Kennedy Center Opera House now through October 6th. Recommended for ages 12+. Suggestive humor and simulated alcohol consumption. Runtime – approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE
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