It’s a dark and stormy night just outside of Washington D.C. in 1954. There’s been a murder at Boddy Manor, and all six of the dinner party guests are suspects.
Blaine Community Theater invites audiences to help solve the mystery at its production of “Clue,” opening Friday, Oct. 2.
The whodunit comedy is based on the 1985 film, “Clue: The Movie,” which was inspired by the Hasbro board game.
Six guests are invited to an odd dinner party at Boddy Manor, where they soon discover they have more in common than they expected: Mr. Boddy has been blackmailing each of them. Soon after, Boddy is murdered, leading to a hilarious and frantic search for the killer and the murder weapon.
It features the classic characters audiences will recognize from the game and movie, including Mrs. White, Colonel Mustard, Mr. Green, Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. Peacock and Wadsworth the butler, along with a quirky cast of supporting characters.
Part of bringing Clue to the stage includes creating the atmosphere of the grand, centuries-old Boddy Manor, with sound effects and set pieces that roll in and out. The silly wordplay, exaggerated characters and slapstick comedy work in tandem to hold the audience’s attention.
“I think they’ll get a kick out of several scenes,” Jacob Hall, director and president for the theater’s board of directors said of the audience. “The finale is going to be fun.”
Cast members agreed that they are looking forward to seeing how audiences react.
“Hopefully they think it’s as funny as we think it is,” said Dana Ruhl, who plays Mrs. Peacock and serves as treasurer for the board.
For Kristen Chmielewski, who plays Mrs. White, the show gives her an opportunity to return to theater, something she enjoyed doing in college. She missed the sense of community that comes from working together on a production, and looks forward to rehearsing with the cast each week.
“I hope it’s a fun evening of silly escapism,” she said.
Jeff Mathews, who plays Colonel Mustard, has a personal connection to the show. “Clue” was his favorite movie in high school, and he hopes longtime fans will enjoy the theater group’s adaptation just as much.
“I hope they go watch the movie and come back to see what differences they can find,” he said.
The cast and crew have been working tirelessly since August, and are excited to show off their efforts to the community.
“I’m so blessed to have the amazing cast I have,” Hall said. “They have been phenomenal from day one.”
“Clue” will show at Blaine High School’s Black Box Theater, 1055 H St., on Oct. 2, 3, 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m., and on Oct. 4 and 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for children, $15 for seniors, students and veterans and $18 for adults, and may be purchased at blaine-community-theater.square.site/.
