By JULES SHINKLE
BG Independent News
There’s the revolver, the wrench, the candlestick, the rope, the dagger … wait, has anybody seen the lead pipe?
“Clue” is a classic murder mystery deduction board game. The 1985 film adaptation is a memorable spoof of the “whodunnit” genre, inventive in the ways it builds a coherent plot from the scaffolding of a Hasbro property. One odd facet of the movie is its three interchangeable endings. During release, people had to watch the movie three separate times to catch each possibility.
“Clue: High School Edition” is a play adaptation of the film written by Sandy Rustin. The BGHS Drama Club is producing “Clue” under the direction of Jo Beth Gonzalez. Performances run November 6 – 9 at the BGHS Performing Arts Center. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, showtime begins at 7 p.m.; Sunday’s show starts at 2 p.m. Saturday night will feature the understudy cast.
The setting takes place during the Second Red Scare (1950s), when American paranoia of communist subversion ran rampant under McCarthyism. Political anxiety plays a role in defining each of the play’s main characters: six mysterious, seemingly unrelated individuals who are invited for a party at the manor of Mr. Boddy.
Our color-coded characters arrive one at a time and are greeted by Wadsworth (Eddie Lyons), butler to Mr. Boddy. As the guests begin mingling, connections are drawn and they collectively realize that everyone has ties to Washington, D.C.
Each of them is deeply afraid about being accused of anything un-American. The party-goers all carry the kinds of secrets that, if exposed, could ruin their lives.
Everyone has a motive to keep their secrets hidden, so it’s hardly a surprise that when Mr. Boddy ends up as a corpse, accusations go flying. Was it Mrs. Peacock (Kas Morrow), wife to a bribe-accepting senator? Or perhaps Mrs. White (Chidiogo Onyekelu), whose previous five husbands all died under mysterious circumstances? Further complicating matters, each guest was holding a weapon at the time of their host’s murder.
“Clue” is the sort of comedy that revels in wordplay. While many jokes riff off of the (admittingly, silly) tropes surrounding murder mysteries, the script is also generous with its double-entendres and puns. In a beat very reminiscent of Abbott and Castello’s “Who’s on First” sketch, Colonel Mustard (Adelina Villareal) asks Wadsworth, “I want a straight answer – is there someone else, or isn’t there, yes or no?” He replies – “No.” “No there is, or no there isn’t?” “Yes.”
Expect preposterous misunderstandings, delightful slapstick, and at least three compelling explanations of the mystery surrounding “Clue.” There are many suspects, weapons, and rooms in the manor to keep track of. Luckily, the audience can sit back and enjoy themselves while the folks onstage do all the detective work.
