Cluedo, The Stage Play

I was interested to see this play, how to build Boddy Manor and put Cluedo on stage? As we know there are numerous rooms in the Manor as seen in the original Board Game, there is a cast list of fourteen, therefore a bit of doubling for the minor roles. Was this a recipe for chaos, well perhaps frantic would be a better term with chases across the stage, people popping in and out of various doors, even a secret passage and bodies disappearing. Writing this on the hottest day of the year to date (26th) is making me feel weary just thinking about it. I suspect all the cast are having a well-deserved rest this Bank Holiday Monday.

We entered the auditorium to see at the back of the stage a well-dressed back wall of shelving with various props dotted around, substantial double doors centre stage with Boddy Manor etched in the window above the doors. There is a substantial chesterfield sofa stage left and a fully dressed dining table stage right set to seat six. These are moved on and off set through the wings allowing other furniture or equipment to be brought in. These spaces representing variously the Dining Room, Kitchen, Study, Lounge, Ballroom, Billiard Room, centre stage essentially representing the Hall, There were many double sided doors doted around the stage as required clearly labelled with the room that the cast were entering, these were moved into place either by cast or crew as required, it must have been great fun rehearsing and remembering which door one was going through. I can understand why these door frames were not on wheels but it was a shame the frames pulled up the carefully placed tape indicating floor tiles. It was just a shame that the stage crew could be seen moving these doors and some of the furniture as the set was always fully lit, I suspect this is down to the lighting rig in this studio not allowing blacked out areas. Technically there was a large screen high up centre stage which was cleverly used to project the floor layout as per the game board and had the appropriately coloured ‘counters’ moving around the house. This was used to great effect in the second act, there were some nice touches including pre-recorded voice overs referencing the Lynsky Tribunal of 1949 setting the scene as early 1950s, thus also setting the scene for costumes and personal props which were all appropriate for this era.

The strong cast was led by Harvey Jones as Wadsworth the Butler, he had a phenomenal amount of script to learn and it was delivered with pace and energy, his pace was not limited to his dialogue, he had at times almost slapstick comedy with his bouncing around the stage, he was certainly a favourite with the full and appreciative audience. His physicality is not limited to movement, he gave us wonderful facial expressions, a great performance as he welcomed each guest. There were two more staff at Boddy Manor, Yvette the French Maid very entertainingly played by Becki Stirling, this was played with a convincing French accent even when she tells us in one scene ‘I’m not really French’, she gave us a stereotypical view of a French maid, flirtatiously well played, lovely. We next met the last ‘staff member’ Grumpy Cook played by Jane Harriss,  she looked very fearsome on her first entrance, knife threateningly in hand and a most grumpy face, she kept this look throughout until she was killed with a knife in her back, she made up for this by doubling as the Singing Telegram Girl, a much more colourfully dressed role although also quickly killed off.

Of the ‘coloured’ characters we had Calvin Lawrence as a rather lecherous Colonel Mustard, Heather Knapp as a prim and proper Mrs White, Karen Mackenzie as a highly strung Mrs Peacock, Josh Bacon as a rather timid Rev Green, anxious to hide his sexuality, Jo Dorman as Miss Scarlet, scarlet by name, scarlet by nature. The last character Professor Plum a psychologist whose aim is to woo women was played by Richard Martin, these six were well cast and played up particularly well to their characteristic, being well costumed, having great mannerisms, excellent diction and good stage presence. We have two more cast members Michael Martin doubling as Mr Boddy (was he the killer, or the victim?) and the Police Constable and then Chris Butterly doubling as a lost motorist and the Chief of Police. All the cast had good energy and projection, we noticed no issues throughout the show although I wasn’t sure if the late gunshots were intentional for comic effect or were genuinely late, we mustn’t forget the body double by yet another member of the Martin brothers, Will, you can go back to working backstage now.

I know that director Claire was worried about having the cast in lines, although it happened occasionally, it was never a problem and the only way the plot line could be followed. Claire did a good job with a play which required a busy and complicated set, she benefitted from having an experienced and confident cast who brought the play to a frantic, but not chaotic conclusion, there were some great technical details with the projection.

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