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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Clue: Live on Stage Also see Susan's reviews of Sojourners, Primary Trust, The Comedy of Errors and The Comeuppance
Over the course of 90 minutes, numerous talented actors flounce about the stage, do exaggerated double-takes, and struggle with the material ("You can't kill someone twice–that would be overkill!") under the direction of Casey Hushion. Perhaps too many authors have gotten involved over the life of the project, since playwright Sandy Rustin, with assistance from Hunter Foster and Eric Price, is credited with reworking Jonathan Lynn's screenplay for an apparently beloved 1985 movie inspired by the Clue board game. So, where to start? Lee Savage's scenic design is vast and ingenious, with walls that move, clever detailing, and rooms that appear and disappear as needed. Jen Caprio has created vivid costumes that delineate the personalities of these characters, while Ryan O'Gara's lighting design is suitably forbidding. The plot draws heavily on Christie classics, specifically And Then There Were None, but taken to a ludicrous extreme. Six guests, strangers to each other and identified only by pseudonyms provided by unflappable butler Wadsworth (Mark Price), have gathered at Boddy Manor, "a mansion of epic proportions and terrifying secrets." Their host, Mr. Boddy (Alex Syiek), threatens the guests with blackmail for their criminal or politically dangerous activities and pits them against each other. (Incidentally, the play takes place in 1954, when Senator Joseph McCarthy was accusing anyone he didn't like of being a Communist spy.) Who, then, are the guests and what might have they done? There's pompous Colonel Mustard (John Treacy Egan), who works for the government; overly emotional Mrs. White (Tari Kelly), in mourning for her latest husband; dithering Mrs. Peacock (Joanna Glushak); nerdy Mr. Green (John Shartzer); smug psychologist Professor Plum (Jonathan Spivey); and luscious Miss Scarlet (Christina Anthony). Before long, each one of them receives a potential murder weapon, and matters just keep getting more tangled. Clue: Live on Stage runs through October 6, 2024, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Opera House, 2700 F St. NW, Washington DC. For tickets and information, please call 800-444-1324 or 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org. For information on the tour, visit clueliveonstage.com. Based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn Cast: |
