'Clue' production full of mystery, intrigue and fun, set to open April 9 in Columbus
Whodunit?
Was it Miss Scarlet, with the lead pipe, in the library?
Or Colonel Mustard, with the candlestick, in the conservatory?
Did Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum or Mrs. White use the dagger, revolver, rope or wrench to commit the dastardly deed?
Maybe the butler did it.
Fans of Hasbro’s classic board game may already have a clue or two about “Clue,” whose national tour runs April 9-14 at the Ohio Theatre.“
The stakes are life and death, and those high stakes make for great comedy and great mystery,” director Casey Hushion said.
What elements shape ‘Clue’?
Based on the 1985 Paramount movie inspired by the game, the 90-minute one-act blends farce, slapstick and wordplay with murder, mystery and suspense.
"’Clue’ is almost two plays in one... The film’s sense of comedy and farce lent itself so clearly to the theatrical. The play is close to the film but in our own reimagined way, full of surprises,” Hushion said.
Balancing the comedy and mystery, though, was tricky.
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"Both require meticulous detail for each moment to land. Everything has to be sharp and crystal-clear to make it pop,” Hushion said.
Adapted by writer Sandy Rustin from Jonathan Lynn’s screenplay, the play takes place at a remote New England mansion where six strangers are invited to a dinner party.
“The game we play — no pun intended — creates a communal, shared experience. We’re all trying to figure it out together, both the characters in the play and the audience,” Hushion said.
The challenge of adaptations
In directing “Clue,” Hushion drew from her Broadway experiences as associate director of several other brand-name film-to-stage adaptations, most notably “Aladdin,” “Elf” and “Mean Girls.”
“You end up distilling and capturing their essence,” Hushion said.
"The film fans want to see certain lines and moments onstage, but they also want fresh elements in alignment with the piece. As a director, you figure out how to play with that while creating a whole new version,” she said.
Hushion has directed several productions of “Clue,” starting with its 2019 premiere at the Cleveland Play House.
"There was so much invention happening in the room and such a wonderful collaboration” she said.
Suspicions mount with the body count at Boddy Manor, as guests discover something in common: blackmailable secrets.
"The pace is lightning fast and the characters can barely keep up,” Hushion said.
Playing the Colonel
John Treacy Egan plays Colonel Mustard.
“The colonel is a confident, take-charge guy, but sadly quite wrong most of the time. He doesn’t seem to be the brightest bulb in the lamp,” Egan said.
Martin Mull played Colonel Mustard on film, but Egan said his approach to the role is based on another “very boisterous” actor he knows.
“My Mustard is over the top,” he said.
Egan first played the role in 2019.
“Hilarity and tragedy ensue at the manor... We created a lot of things in Cleveland that stayed in,” he said proudly.
“How much fun it is to perform this great evening of theater, with its fast pacing, slapstick and door-slamming farce,” Egan said.
“What makes the comedy work is these are real circumstances, but with heightened sincerity because of the high stakes.”
Who portrays Miss Scarlet?
Michelle Elaine plays Miss Scarlet.
“She’s a D.C. madam, used to being in control, who I’ve given some Southern roots,” Elaine said.
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“I see her as smart, sharp, witty and a little sarcastic... more interested in secrets and having a good time. While she likes to play games, instigate things and poke fun at people, she’s not interested in being in someone else’s game,” she said.
Elaine accepted the role partly because she enjoys murder mysteries.“It’s the perfect piece for me... Everybody’s got a skeleton in their closet, and this play makes us think about our indiscretions,” she said.
The comedy works best, she said, when actors take the mystery seriously.
“If you play up the ridiculousness, there’s no payoff because it feels fake. One thing our production gets right: The stakes are real — these people are trying to stay alive in a dire situation — and we know how funny that can be,” Elaine said.
The impact of the setting and ensemble
Reinforcing the suspense and laughter, Hushion said, is Lee Savage’s “dark and twisty” scenic design.
“Lee did a brilliant job imagining how Boddy Manor could be a character in the play. A Gothic Victorian mansion on a dark and stormy night, the house is surprising in how it moves, almost like a Swiss army knife,” she said.
With nine rooms, six central characters and six murder weapons, many “whodunit” scenarios are imaginable.
“The house can be ominous and mysterious, but also in on the mischief and mayhem... When it all comes together, it’s thrilling to watch the ensemble work,” Hushion said.
Although she directs actors to establish their own types and comic sensibilities, knitting the ensemble together was a priority.
“They play like a team,” Hushion said. “Each actor needs to know when it’s their moment to shine and when to step back.”
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The appeal of live theater
One of Hushion’s favorite aspects of “Clue” is its physical energy.
"It almost feels like a musical in its bones because there’s so much physicality and a cohesive vocabulary of movement to handle all the dead bodies and moments of mayhem,” she said.
The unpredictability of theater helps.
“We’re here live. The characters are even juicier, with tricks in the theater that you can’t get from film,” Elaine said.
While the movie offered three alternate endings, the play takes a different approach.
“It’s quite spectacular and fully realized,” Egan said. “Everyone gets a little of their guess correct.”
@mgrossberg1
At a glance
PNC Broadway in Columbus and the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts will present “Clue” at 7:30 p.m. April 9-11, 8 p.m. April 12, 2 and 8 p.m. April 13 and 1 and 6:30 p.m. April 14 at the Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St. Tickets start at $45. (614-469-0939, capa.com)
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Broadway in Columbus' 'Clue' to open April 9 at the Ohio Theatre
