Clue The Musical

‘Clue the Musical’, is based on the well-loved game ‘Cluedo’ or ‘Clue’ as it is known in America, with book by Peter DePietro and music by Galen Blum, Wayne Barker and Vinnie Martucci with lyrics by Tom Chiodo. Taking the premise of a board game, three randomly picked members of the audience are chosen to select from the murder cards: a murderer, a weapon, and a room. I particularly liked the interactive element of the show where the audience were also provided with scorecards so they could play along by listening to the clues to solve the murder and try to predict the outcome. The play has 216 possible solutions therefore every night’s outcome will be different.

As in the traditional game, we have the usual suspects: Miss Scarlett (Sarah Leaton), Mr Green (William Dewick), Mrs Peacock (Roseann Edis), Professor Plum (Justin Day), Colonel Mustard (James Fry) and Mrs White (Rachel Mitchell) and the host, who acts as the relaying of clues and murder victim, the appropriately named Mr Boddy (Ollie Kirkwood). In addition, we have the feisty Detective (Kerri McGarrigle) endeavouring to discover the identity of the murderer. Each of the suspects are dressed stereotypically in their appropriate colours and has a particular action which they maintain throughout e.g., Colonel Mustard’s salute. They also have their own unique theme music which the culprit sings at the end of the show. Mr Boddy, the victim who ‘lives to die’, acts as master of ceremonies by interacting with both the would-be suspects - coaxing out their back-stories and therefore their reasons for wanting to kill him - and with the audience providing random clues breaking the 4th wall. Ollie Kirkwood has a weary air of it’s all been done before and therefore his demise is inevitable, he also reminds the suspects that they are merely players in a board game by getting them to repeat the robotic mantra of the list of weapons.

Each of the characters has a song or duet which they perform with great skill. Some of the complex harmonies were extremely impressive and performed very well the cast’s voices blending beautifully. The use of microphones ensured that not a word of the complicated plot was lost. I especially liked Justin Day’s feisty duet ‘Seduction Deduction’ with Kerri McGarrigle’s Scottish Detective, as they tried to outwit each other with their knowledge of literary quotations. Another highlight was the Tango styled ‘Everyday Devices’ as Miss Scarlett and Mr Green mull over the more macabre uses of ordinary household items. The inclusion of a live band behind the set (Lindsay Follen, Jonathan Bayes and Paul O’Leary) provided a slick and pacey accompaniment.   All the characters played their parts extremely well in the delivery of a complex script and challenging patter songs not to mention their use as scene changers rotating the enormous cuboids decorated to represent each room. At times it seemed almost like choreography as each block was manoeuvred seamlessly into position.

Special mention to William Dewick, whose hilarious malapropisms as Mr Green provided much of the humour and  Rachel Mitchell’s Mrs White, whose comic timing was hilarious with just the repeated interjection of the word  Lounge’ as the hapless Detective tried to work out whodunnit. Roseann Edis’s man-eating frequently married Mrs Peacock was a sultry delight with her song ‘Once a Widow’ and her paramour James Fry’s Colonel Mustard was delightfully batty in his belief that people were inanimate objects. I particularly liked their fun game of Twister with a twist. Sarah Leaton’s Miss Scarlett seductively oozed her way through her part as the ex-Vegas showgirl reminding me of that other seductress - Jessica Rabbit.

From the moment I entered the theatre, I was warmly welcomed by the chairperson, Rita Crowe a true stalwart of the society and introduced to the director, Mike Follen. Congratulations to everyone involved with this production for creating a challenging but very enjoyable piece of theatre. I got two of the clues, but the murderer managed to elude me. Whodunnit? As the audience were told at the end - keep the secret!

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