Clue

Clue is a farce based on the popular board game Cluedo, and was originally presented as a film in 1985. It is loosely based on the original characters of the board game, and set in 1950s America during the Mcarthy era, when everyone was frightened of political denunciation- giving the characters plenty of motives for murder. The characters arrive at a remote country house near Washington, having been summoned by the mysterious blackmailer Mr. Boddy to a dinner party, to be greeted by the butler Wadsworth, the nervous French maid, and a very surly cook. Shortly afterwards, the bodies begin to pile up, but each of the guests has a motivation and the means- but whodunnit?

The hilarious events of the convoluted plot were expertly played out by this cast under the very able direction of Laura Griffin. Moving a large cast around so rapidly from scene to scene, in such a complicated plot, and without losing the comedic thread of the play is not easy – but was expertly managed.

This was helped by the ingenious set, designed and built by Julian Warrick and Callum Forman along with other members of Boston Playgoers and Blackfriars crew. The tri-partite rotating flats worked brilliantly, allowing scene changes from kitchen to billiard room to study to conservatory, (and so on), with almost filmic ease. From where I was sitting, in the middle of the theatre, sight-lines were perfect, but I did wonder whether some of the seats would be able to see every detail such as the appearance of the secret passage doorway, or dialogue in the passageway between the two angled doors- but Blackfriars is a tricky theatre in that respect.

The mood of the play was helped by the careful selection of incidental music and sound effects which built the tension and mysterious atmosphere of the plot. Costumes were very appropriate, and each character wore clothes which immediately identified their character. All of the characters, except Wadsworth the butler and Yvette the French maid, had good American accents which were maintained throughout.

Callum Forman was excellent as Wadsworth, the English butler. This character acts as the principal driver and explainer of the plot, and Callum played this with energy and a dry humour which the audience loved.

Abbie Schweikhardt played Yvette the maid, a nervous French girl who shrieked at every opportunity. Her French accent was faultless and did not slip once during the performance. This was a very good debut for her with Playgoers.

Jamie Shave played a number of parts, including a rather evil-looking cook, and ended up getting murdered each time! This was also his debut with Playgoers, and a promising start.

The voluptuous Miss Scarlett was played by Melissa Poulson with just the right amount of disdain and insouciance. Another sterling performance from her.

David O’ Brien is another newcomer to the Boston stage and played the peppery, rather obtuse, Colonel Mustard expertly.

Jo Warrick is an old hand with Playgoers, and her experience showed, playing the corrupt Senator’s wife Mrs. Peacock. An actor needs complete trust in her colleagues to “faint” as she did and rely on her accomplices to catch her.

Jon Molson played the rather nervous Mr. Green. Jon always gives an accomplished performance and is entirely convincing in whatever roles he plays- well done Jon.

Kathryn Kibby played Mrs. White, the (probable) serial murderer of husbands, with suitable coldness and disdain – again, an expert portrayal.

Matt Brown was also making his debut with Playgoers but his experience showed, playing the role of the suave, lecherous psychiatrist Professor Plum and filling the part with ease..

Nick Goring played the last member of the cast, usually either dead or about to be dead.  Firstly as Mr. Boddy, the first victim in the play – apparently shot in the first ten minutes. He then reappears as a corpse, and later as a traffic cop, only to be killed again. Are they trying to tell you something, Nick?

Moving on to the backstage crew, the scene changes were slick and effective, with the cast helping to move furniture and props when needed. Blackouts were covered with suitable mood music and sound effects to increase the tension.

Sound and lighting were well-managed, with excellent effects and good lighting. I did think, however, that when characters were meant to be in a darkened room that the lighting was too bright – it could have been dimmed a little further for a better effect.

The programme consisted of three informative sheets of paper – simple but effective. There was, however, one obvious mistake in the listing of the cast. It’s a shame that the NODA information was not included, as it means that the programme cannot be entered into the competition. However, the poster will qualify.

I’d like to emphasise that my minor criticisms should not detract from the overall success of the play and are meant to be helpful.

The ambience at the theatre was warm and welcoming, and it was good to be welcomed by the Society’s chairman, Daniel Poulson. If audience reaction is a measure of a play’s success, then Playgoers have a winner here – everyone was chuckling and laughing out loud throughout.

So thank you to Boston Playgoers for a thoroughly entertaining evening.

 

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