Stand Up For…Theatre did it!
In the DoodleHATCH!
With a play!
That’s Clue in a nutshell, right? Whodunnit, with what, and where? And that’s what you get with SUFT’s current production of the iconic boardgame-turned-movie-turned-play. Clue, directed by Ed Higgins, is a madcap chase of characters all throughout Boddy Manor in an attempts to solve the age-old question of whodunnit? as the bodies pile up throughout the evening.
Wearing many hats— not the least of which is a wandering Irish police officer’s cap— Director Ed Higgins has rolled the dice on a conceptualization for this production which so far looks like a lucky seven. The audience is seated up on the stage because the spacious floor area of DoodleHATCH has been transformed, quite literally, into the gameboard from the Parker Bros. game “Clue.” Set Painting Squad Justin Nepomuceno, Latrell Matthewson, Johaness McNulty, and Stephanie Smith have meticulously lined the floor with all the checkered squares of the gameboard, outlining each of the rooms in turn, which are then furnished accordingly. Set Construction Squad Patrick Rudai, Mike Zellhofer, and Johaness McNulty, help build up the joint— everything from giant books that serve as secret passageways to elaborate furnishings to delineate the lounge from the study. Or the study from the lounge. These seems to be a sticking point for some of the poor characters (and actors) who frequently confuse the two throughout the evening (only adding to the calamity, chaos, and otherwise chuckle-worthy nonsense.) It’s quite an impressive concept; one that is furthered by the ‘players’ (some more so than others— definitely keep an eye on Mrs. Peacock for the most realistic board-game-piece-movements) as they ‘move’ from room to room and pawn-piece fashion.
Speaking of fashion, Lee Anderson puts many feathers in her cap as the show’s Fashion Design Consultant, giving some of the colorful characters real radiance and resplendence when it comes to their threads for the evening. Costumers Cathy Pritchard and Grant Myers produce some of the most impressive looks of individuality when it comes to keeping these iconic gameboard characters within the realm of perceived expectations while still giving them touches of unique flare. Hands down, the two most impressive outfits of the evening are the entire ensemble featured on Miss Scarlet and on Mrs. Peacock. The peacock-patterned teal dress is stunning and accompanied by so much bling that a plane might mistake her for runway lights. And Miss Scarlet is scintillating in her namesake’s color complete with matching sequin clutch. Of course there’s the garish mustard uniformed suit for the Colonel, a dashing blazer in Mr. Green’s namesake and a rather learned look of the deepest velvet for Professor Plum’s smoking jacket too.
The show is not without its hiccups. Sound murderous bugs are still working their way out of the sound effects and the timing thereof. There’s a lot of tinned sound effects— ominous thunder, suspiciously suspenseful music, howling dogs, etc.— that sometimes don’t quite land when and where (or for the duration) that they are supposed to. It is believed that as the production gets a few more performances under its belt these kinks will hopefully work themselves out. This appears to be the show’s biggest hiccup, aside from some pacing problems. Because of the show’s overall frenetic nature and gradual build from suspenseful to zany-unhingement, there is a certain level of pacing— both in physical movement and activity as well as dialogue exchange and delivery— that is required to make the show a success. At this point, Clue has about 75% of that mastered, mainly in the physical movement department. The scenes clip along— the show only runs about 90 minutes plus an intermission— but sometimes it’s what is happening in the scenes that gets caught up (either an actor missing a line and frantically covering or just a lag in the overall delivery of whatever lines are happening.) But the pacing hiccups will hopefully tighten and so too, hopefully, will the delivery. There are great moments where the comedic timing, textual delivery, and physicality are spot-on with the rapid-pacing requirements of this show— like when Colonel Mustard and Wadsworth are having the Clue-ified version of “Who’s On First?” and the snappy fire between the pair of them is hilarious and timed with razor-sharp precision.
There are definitely some… choices… that accompany this production that will make you tilt your head, though mostly just bust a gut laughing because… choices were made. These aren’t bad choices, just choices. Like the “bodies” of well— can’t say who…that would be considered ‘giving the game away’… but watch for the ‘bodies’ (like you can miss them) as they flop out of various and sundry locations. One of the more brilliant choices includes the larger-than-life pair of dice hanging suspended from the chandelier in the hallway…looming to remind the players that they are in a game. And also a less-than-subtle nod to the game itself. But it’s an impressive inclusion all the same. There’s dancing, which may or may not be a nod to the film or perhaps is just being used as a space filler, hard to tell, but either way, it adds to some of the amusement experienced throughout.
The one thing that Director Ed Higgins and his cast has done exceptionally well without question is defining and then toeing the balance between “homage-and-copy” from the movie characters to “completely-original” here on the stage. With an iconic, arguably cult-classic, film like Clue, there will be the expectation that some (or even all) of the characters live up to their movie-likeness. However, this isn’t the movie. This is play based on the movie. Higgins and the cast have done an extraordinary job of finding ways to make these characters their own whilst still paying tribute to or nodding recognizably at the film-actor origins of the characters. This is particularly true for the Wadsworth character, who originated in the film with Tim Curry in the part. There is a beautiful layer of Tim-Curry-flavored-veneer over this Wadsworth and certain lines are textbook Curry. But simultaneously this is a new creation of Wadsworth-for-the-stage for this specific production.
Onto what everyone wants to know— the players. Or should we say… suspects!?
You’ve got the unsung hero (at this performance) played by Mauryce Brumfield. He’s the Chief of Police who barnstorms through the door (multiple times over) near the show’s conclusion. Wearing many hats. Literally. Brumfield also doubles up as…well…it’s not important as who…or what. But it should be known that Brumfield does a killer job in that super sneaky, uncredited role in addition to wearing all of those hats in the various scenes as the Police Chief.
There’s a gaggle of others— The Cook (Amy Rudai), The Motorist (Pail McNulty), Mr. Boddy (John Imahori) The Singing Telegram Gril (Amy Rudai… again) and The Cop (Ed Higgins.) We get to encounter each of these delightful character-extras ever-so-briefly, but their inclusion in the production adds to the humor and occasionally to the suspense. Keep an eye on Amy Rudai when she appears as The Singing Telegram Girl…she rolls in for 15 seconds complete with tap-shoes and sparkly jazzy bloomer-shorts!
Then of course, there is Yvette (Alecha Angel) whose screams can be heard all throughout the house when she discovers something— *gasp* shocking! Angel plays a very demure Yvette, giving her one of those textbook over-the-top French accents and she fits right along with the rest of the crazy cast, jumping, screaming, and running like mad all throughout the house once they suspect a killer(s) is on the loose.
There’s Mrs. White (Kristen Demers) who is the epitome of Resting Rage Face… seriously, I wouldn’t want to encounter her by myself in any room of Boddy Manor at any time— she just looks off-kilter. Demers develops a very noticeable and equally parts comic nervous twitch, rattling her fingers whenever the character is impatient, which is practically the entire time she’s on stage. Demers has haughty airs and graces that suit the character just fine, letting her live up to the ‘black widow’ label that gets slapped on Mrs. White early in the production.
Miss Scarlet (Fela Langston) is elegant and refined and rather unabashedly unashamed of exactly who she is and what she does. Langston imbues the character with just the right balance of sultry and seductive verses educated and sharp. She’s quick with a comeback and seems to know her physical location at all times, making her that much more deadly every time she has to utter a line.
The aloof Mrs. Peacock (Anne Hull) isn’t the ‘sweet old lady’ that she seems though she’s decked out to the nines in bling, dazzling jewels, and a fabulous hat! Hull does have some hilarious one-liners and her intentional over-acting during moments of heightened stress only add to the comic calamity on stage.
Professor Plum (Latrell Matthewson) in whichever room he’s in is quite the crack-up. With a posh, British-adjacent accent (that stays consistent throughout the evening!) that sets him apart from the others, Matthewson’s strong suit is playing up the physical comedy moments.
Colonel Mustard (Christopher Pence) has extraordinary timing with his pithy, dum-dum one-liners that add a uniquely spicy brand of humor to the show. Pence is one of the performers who really has delivery-timing refined down to a scientific art. And his slightly southern accent is on par for the course. When he and Miss Scarlet go sneaking through secret passageways, it’s rather humorous.
Poor, poor Mr. Green (Charlie Simisky) what a clumsy, comic, cad. The adorable little character is just the perfect klutz in the group. Whether being crushed by falling chandeliers or bodies… there’s just lots of humor to be had at the character’s expense. Simisky is embodying a living, breathing, incarnation of Schadenfreude if ever there was one. And he gets a chance to really showcase his memorization skills and rapid-delivery come the shock-twist conclusion to the show. Well done!
Perfectly toeing that fine line between being Tim Curry, channeling Tim Curry, and doing his own thing, Anthony Case as Wadsworth is the crackpot comic lead in this production. Certain lines land exactly as Tim Curry delivers them in the movie. Other moments and instances are 100% Case’s concoction, and further still are moments that blend the two devils together into one hybrid-hilarity. His physicality with the role is second to none in this production, particularly when he starts the never-ending re-enactment of the evening— it’s hysterical, it’s uproarious, and more than once Case bounds to the floor and back with lightning agility. And something has to be said for his trifecta of…well…that thing he keeps doing/not doing at the end. Because it’s a scream.
Was it The Motorist in the parking lot with the tire iron? Was it Mr. Green in the restroom with the hand sanitizer? Was it The Singing Telegram Girl at the concessions bar? All of these are good places to start if you intend to solve the funny mystery that is Clue. But the very first piece of evidence you should gather is your ticket. To the performance. At Stand Up For…Theatre.
Running Time: Approximately 100 minutes including one intermission
Clue plays February 24th 2023 through March 5th 2023 with Stand Up For…Theatre in their new home at DoodleHATCH— 8775 Cloudleap Court in Columbia, MD. Tickets are available for purchase at the door or in advance online.
To read the first part of Colorful Conversations with the Cast of Clue featuring Colonel Mustard, Mister Green, and Professor Plum, click here.
To read the second part of Colorful Conversations with the Cast of Clue featuring Miss Scarlet, Mrs. Peacock, and Yvette, click here.
To read the third part of Colorful Conversations with the Cast of Clue featuring Wadsworth the butler and Mrs. White, click here.
