Whether you know it as “Clue” or “Cluedo” or if you don’t know it at all, “Clue” on stage as a live theatrical production is a hilarious evening. Based on both the board game and the cult 1985 feature film, this murder-mystery is a wonderful mix of slapstick physical comedy and a homage to the classic cosy murder in a manor detective mysteries and the Hasbro game.

History

The game itself was originally devised by musician Anthony E. Pratt (1903-1994) during World War II. A fan of Raymond Chandler and Agatha Christie, he and his wife Elva (1913-1990) designed the board game and sold it to the games manufacturer Waddingtons. Waddingtons renamed the game “Cluedo” (a portmanteau of “Clue” and the Latin word for “I play,” “Ludo.”).

The game has six suspects and one murder victim, Mr. Boddy (US version) or Dr. Black (UK version). The six suspects are Miss Scarlet, a femme fatale; Colonel Mustard, a retired military officer; Mrs. White, the housekeeper or cook (later replaced by Dr. Orchid, a biologist in 2016 or Chef White in 2023), Reverend or Mr. Green, a business man possibly involved with criminal activities; Mrs. Peacock, a widowed socialite and Professor Plum, an absent-minded intellectual.  The weapons are: candlestick, dagger/knife, lead pipe, revolver, rope and spanner/wrench. The rooms where the murder could have been committed are the kitchen, the ballroom, the conservatory, the billiard room, the library, the study, the dining room, the lounge and the hall. The cards are divided into suspects, room and weapon. One card is drawn from each pile and put in an envelope. The remaining cards are shuffled and distributed to the players. Players Rolle the dice and move along the board from the corridor to a room. Once one arrives in a room, one uses the name of the room they are in and then declares who they suspect and the murder weapon. To disprove this, the player to the left can privately show one card to the person making the declaration. If that person cannot disprove the declaration, the next person to the left is called upon until one and only one card has been shown to the person making the declaration.

A player’s turn ends once their declaration has been disproven by one player’s one card. The game is won by deducing the correction answer.

The Movie

This is a film filled with talent, but the comedy doesn’t mesh together. Director Jonathan Lynn also wrote the screenplay (story credited to Lynn and John Landis) and he might have needed other eyes and ears to help fine tune the comedy.

Set in 1954, six strangers are invited to a secluded mansion in New England on a story night. Each guest has no idea who the host is, and is asked to adopt a pseudonym. Greeted at the door by the butler Wadsworth (Tim Curry), it becomes apparent that these guests are somehow connected. The sexy French maid Yvette (Colleen Camp) seems to know one of the guests as does the cook (Kelly Nakahara).

When Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving)  is finally introduced, the audience learns that he has been blackmailing each of the six guests. Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan) has been accepting bribes on behalf of her US. senator husband. Mrs. White (Madeline Kahm), is a black widow who has been married five times with each husband dying under mysterious circumstances. Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd) was a psychiatrist who had an affair with one of his patients but now works for the government.  Mr. Green (Michael McKean) is a closeted homosexual working for the government. Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull) is a former army officer who engaged in war profiteering. Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren), is a well-placed Washington D.C. madam who could name names.

While Wadsworth hopes to expose Mr. Boddy, Mr. Boddy means to force one of the six to kill Wadsworth, presenting each of the six guests with a gift box that contains one of the weapons from the game (a candlestick, rope, lead pipe, wrench, revolver, and dagger).

While Mr. Boddy will be murdered,  unlike the board game, there will be more than one murder and in the movie, there will be more than one solution.

The film does have a Los Angeles connection. It was filmed on sound stages at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood and on location in South Pasadena. Lynn didn’t get his first (Leonard Rossiter) or second choice (Rowan Atkinson) for the role of the butler. I imagine that Atkinson would have suited the role better than Tim Curry. The film doesn’t go all-in and over-the-top with physical comedy and that perhaps is the biggest mistake.

The film ran 97 minutes.

Clue: On Stage

“Clue: On Stage” is not to be confused with “Clue The Musical,” the 1997 Off-Broadway production. The musical reportedly had 216 possible endings, with audience members selecting cards to determine who commits the crime, with what and where.

For “Clue: On Stage,” Sandy Rustin adapted Jonathan Lynn’s screenplay with additional material added by Eric Price and Tony-nominated actor Hunter Foster. Foster directed  the premiere production of “Clue: On Stage.” The show, in its revised 2018 published version, made its west coast premiere at La Mirad Playhouse in 2021.

While the 1985 movie had diversity in its minor characters (Asian American cook and an African American police officer), this production has diversity in the main cast with African American Michelle Elaine as Miss Scarlet as well as African American Teddy Trice as the Cop and Mariah Burks as the Cook.

This casting still makes sense in 1954, in “a mansion of epic proportions and terrifying secrets” somewhere in New England, not far from Washington, D.C.  At the center of the action is Mark Price as Wadsworth. He’s assisted by the flirty French maid Yvette (Elisabeth Yancey) and the Cook. John Treaty Egan’s Colonel Mustard is more easily understood than Martin Mull’s portrayal, but less likable. Tari Kelly’s Mrs. White can’t really compete with Madelaine Kahn’s black widow, but as part of an ensemble, her portrayal fits in perfectly. Joanna Glushak’s Mrs. Peacock is a woman coming apart despite her airs. Jonathan Spivey’s Professor Plum seems less befuddled than Christopher Lloyd’s version. Michelle Elaine’s Miss Scarlet has more sass and sense than Lesley Ann Warren’s. Yet my favorite character of this production is John Shartzer as Mr. Green. While McKean’s Mr. Green was stalwart enough, Shartzer’s physical comedy is incredible.

Price also has his chance at physical comedy and he’s more than up to the challenge. Under the direction of Casey Hushion, this ensemble has sharp timing (totally in sync with Ryan O’Gara’s lighting design and Jeff Human’s sound design) and exquisitely nuanced characters, even if they are caricatures (further bolstered by Jen Caprio’s witty costume design). Lee Savage’s scenic design allows both the feel of a drawing room mystery and the expanse and surprise of a mansion with a few secrets.

The ending of the film wasn’t really set up and locked in by the script (since there was three and almost four endings) and this stage adaptation follows suit. The clues won’t necessarily bring you to one conclusion. Yet I don’t think you’ll feel cheated, particularly if you just come for the parody and in a playful mood to play along.

We dressed up as chromatologist Ms. Scarlet and pomologist Professor Plum and brought ropes (rope slip dog leads) as our weapons of choice. Miss Scarlet was portrayed as an East Asian woman in the 1972 version of the game, the VCR game (portrayed by Janet Wong)  and the 1987 German version (Fraulein Ming).

Watching the film immediately after seeing the play and then watching the “Psych” episode (Season 7, Episode 5, “100 Clues”). The “Psych” episode is dedicated to Madeline Kahn and features Christopher Lloyd, Martin Mull and Lesley Ann Warren, original cast members of the movie,  as suspects. When originally broadcast, the ending was chosen based on live online fan votes, making the ending for the West Coast different from the East Coast. This is one of the better episodes of “Psych,” especially if you’re familiar with the film although the play can also serve as a fine base for comparison.

“Clue: On Stage” runs about 1 hour and 25 minutes without an intermission and continue at the Ahmanson until 25 August 2024. For more information or to buy tickets (starting from $40.25), visit CenterTheatreGroup.org. Be game and go.