Clue is a classic murder mystery board game where each player assumes the role of one of six suspects. Players attempt to find the killer by strategically moving around a game board representing the rooms of a mansion while collecting clues about the circumstances of the murder. This year, the drama department will be performing a stage production of Clue, and the cast is preparing for opening night in the first week of February.
“I wanted Clue because it’s very fun. There’s lots of good roles for actors to be big characters and express themselves,” said junior Stage Manager Emily Fix. “For our technicians, it’s a different set than we’re used to building because it’s got lots of moving parts. Yes, it’s about a murder mystery and people die, but it’s also really funny and lifts your spirits up when the characters come out and act.”
In the game, suspects with names representing different colors–Mrs. Peacock, Mrs. White, Professor Plum, Mr. Green, Miss Scarlet and Colonel Mustard–are mysteriously summoned to a mansion. Senior Gabi Kotwicki, who plays Miss Scarlett, said that what makes this show unusual is that the lines are much shorter compared to her past roles.
“It’s less monologues, [and] there’s no exact lead. All the roles are really evened out,” Kotwicki said. “One thing that’s really fun is that with every single line that any character has, everyone on stage is doing something else that fits their characters. This is because all the characters are really big stereotypes of different types of people. For example, one guy is anxious all the time, this other guy is not so intelligent, one guy won’t stop talking about how he’s a doctor and the best at everything and one lady may or may not have murdered all her husbands.”
With every main character having an equal amount of time in the spotlight, actors have the ability to showcase the highest potential of their theatrical abilities. At the same time, audience members will have a difficult task noticing specific characteristics the characters display.
“It’s a really interesting show. The format is unlike anything I’ve ever done before because the leads almost never leave the stage for the entire length of the show, which is two hours,” Kotwicki said. “It’s going to be really interesting because this is a show that focuses on the dynamics between the characters, and it’s really comedic.”
According to the lead cast, memorizing lines will be a difficult feat for the main characters, who do not get a break backstage to glance at scripts. Additionally, all actors will have their own tasks to perform simultaneously with other actors. Thus, there won’t be anyone to look at for clues on stage if actors cannot precisely remember the parts they’ve practiced. In addition to the actors all executing different movements, the props department will be extremely occupied with moving props across the stage.
“I’m most excited about the props. For the first time, we are using weapon props,” said Fix. “It’s a very prop-heavy show, so there’s a lot of moving and running around and switching up props.”
These scenes call for special costume pieces and duplicates of murder weapon props. Along with the exciting opportunity to use prop weapons in the show, the cast has also been forced to adapt to pandemic regulations on some props.
“COVID-19 protocols are hard. There’s a lot of eating and drinking that we can’t do, so it’s very awkward when we have to pretend to eat and drink. We get to go maskless for the performance, but the cups can’t touch our mouths. There’s a lot of jokes in the lines about spilling stuff, so it’ll be difficult to show that,” said senior Ash Reynolds, who is playing Professor Plum.
After three full months of hard work, the cast of Clue will unveil a spectacular show full of humor, suspense, and phenomenal acting for students and families to enjoy.
“It’s going to be a really great show. We have an incredible cast,” Kotwicki said. “We’ve only rehearsed the first half, but it’s so funny. You just [have] to show up and try to solve the mystery.”
