“There is barely a family in the land who has not at least dabbled with the board game of Cluedo (for good or for ill). It was Colonel Mustard in the Kitchen with the Revolver… No, it was Miss Scarlet in the Study with the Dagger? … Or maybe Professor Plum in the Conservatory with the Rope? Your guess is as good as ours!
Cluedo came into being during World War II, when Anthony E. Pratt, a musician and factory worker from Birmingham, was holed up in his home during air raids. He recalled the murder mystery games that were played by past clients of his at private music performances, and which lead him in 1944 to apply for a patent for his invention of a murder mystery themed board game, which was originally called Murder! Anthony and his co-designer wife Elva presented the game to Waddingtons, who purchased it and renamed it Cluedo (which was a play on the word ‘clue’ and the Latin word ‘ludo’ which means ‘I play’). Cluedo was released to the UK public in 1949, as a shortage of paper brought about by World War II delayed the release. The game was licensed in the USA to the Parker Brothers after the war, where it was renamed Clue. Whilst we may be familiar with the rooms and weapons of the game, originally there were even more places and ways to kill Mr Boddy (or Dr Black in the UK edition). A gun room and cellar were eliminated from the original design by the Pratts, as well as an unused bomb, syringe, and fireplace poker!
It was probably only a matter of time before the beloved game and its infamous characters were picked up to satisfy the public’s never-ending appetite for murder and mystery. The 1985 film ‘Clue’ has become a cult classic in the almost 40 years since its release, and is based on the famous board game with the addition of mile-a-minute jokes and an all-star cast. The comedic ensemble shine, with memorable performances from Madeline Kahn, Tim Curry, and Christopher Lloyd among the pack. (Reportedly, Rowan Atkinson was considered for the part of Wadsworth, but was passed over as he wasn’t thought to be famous enough at the time!) The film infamously played different endings at different theatres, so audiences were still left asking who did it, where, and with what?
The play brings the suspenseful, wise-cracking 1950’s of the film to the stage, whilst the threat of blackmail and blacklisting from the House Un-American Activities Committee hangs over each one of the guests to Boddy Manor. One by one, the suspects are revealed along with six potential murder weapons. There’s the rakish psychiatrist, Professor Plum (Matthew Brown); the vivacious femme fatale, Miss Scarlet (Melissa Poulson); the perpetually nervous Mr. Green (Jon Molson); the dim-witted Colonel Mustard (David O’Brien); the aloof widower, Mrs. White (Kathryn Kibby); and the crooked wife of a senator, Mrs. Peacock (Jo Warrick). The lights go off, things go bump in the night, and the dwindling survivors are left trying to make some kind of sense of it all. As the body count mounts, only one question remains… whodunnit?
Bringing this comedic rollercoaster to the stage has been a lot of fun to bring to life (or death?) for the creative team behind Boston Playgoers’ 2023 production The 39 Steps. I really enjoyed assistant directing on The 39 Steps earlier this year, and taking on Clue was the next step up to challenge my directing skills and creative vision onstage. The script really crackles with the wit we all love from the film, as well as lots of suspense and intrigue. The cast have been absolutely fantastic to work with, and the characters have shone so brightly throughout the rehearsals – even at our most recent run throughs, I’m still laughing! In addition to the suspects we all know from the board game, the cast is rounded out with Wadsworth, the indispensable butler trying to keep things together as everything unravels (Callum Forman); Yvette, the French maid who is not amused with being locked in a house with a murderer (Abbie); and Mr Boddy, the blackmailer at the heart of the mystery, along with other characters unfortunate enough to cross the threshold of Boddy Manor (Nick Goring and Jamie Shave). They have all brought their A-game to every single one of the rehearsals where we brought our own spin to the classic comedy capers of the film, and I can’t wait for our audiences to see them in hilarious action!
We have also been lucky enough to have a fantastic production team behind our set, props, costumes, and backstage machinations, which will transport out audiences to ‘just outside Washington D.C.’ of the 1950’s and to the classic board game. It’s been an interesting play to produce, with all the different rooms of the board game to consider (Julian Warrick very kindly designed our fantastic set pieces) without sacrificing stage space when a room isn’t being used; as well as the fact we needed multiple dead bodies onstage whilst actors were playing multiple roles, and a myriad of weapons to keep track of. Without all this hard work behind the scenes, productions like this would not get to performance week, so I am incredibly proud and indebted to the imaginative and hardworking people whom you may never see on the stage in this production.
I first joined Boston Playgoers at the start of 2023, and my plan to gradually ease myself into the society didn’t go quite to plan – through the three productions we have staged as a society, I’ve been a producer, director, stage manager, playwright, and tea wrangler! I have loved every minute of it, and would encourage anyone who is interested in treading the boards, producing a play, or helping backstage to come and join the society. It is a very welcoming group filled with incredibly talented people and has really become a creative home for me – and if I can do it, anyone can!
I’d like to thank our audience members for supporting local theatre, as the aftereffects of the pandemic are still being felt across the world of British theatre – British theatre, both professional and community, would not survive without you. I’d also like to thank the cast, production team, and backstage crew for being so fun and supportive during the whole adventure that was Clue – it’s been an honour to bring this cult classic to the stage at Blackfriars with you all.
If you haven’t bought your tickets yet, they are still available at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/boston/blackfriars-arts-centre-ltd/clue-on-stage-boston-playgoers-society/e-aaebdd. It would be murder to miss it!
If you have bought your tickets, enjoy the show!
Laura Griffin, Director