Crime & Comedy: The drama department entraps the audience in a captivating production of “Clue”

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A BODDY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED: The suspects hover over Mr. Boddy’s body after discovering he had been bludgeoned in the head. A group of people blackmailed by millionaire Mr. Boddy were all invited and lured into his mansion with the same letter. Photo by Aleksi Holder.

By: Aleksi holder

The curtains are drawn and out of the darkness shines the lobby of a millionaire’s mansion as the butler, the cook and the maid prepare for company. The doorbell rings and the unsuspecting guests slowly pour into the residence, individually descending the grand staircase. After a few tense introductions, it is time for the game to begin.

This year’s fall drama production, handpicked by Theatrical Advisor and history teacher Amy Nesmith, is “Clue,” a play based on the 1949 murder mystery board game patented by Anthony E. Pratt. Performed by the Musical Theater II, III and IV students on Oct. 26 -27 and Nov. 2- 3, it made for a comical and suspenseful play. Not only did it keep the audience intrigued about the characters’ distinctive personalities, but it kept them eagerly anticipating the suspects’ next steps.

“It was a good show for us to do because everybody knows ‘Clue’,” said junior Shelby Dammann. “You have either played the board game or want to or just heard of it. We were all super excited to hear that we were doing it.”

“Clue” is a popular board game that inspired the adaptation of the 1985 movie by Jonathan Lynn, later published into a play in 1993. Taking place in Mr. Boddy’s mansion, the millionaire, played by seniors Vanessa Montoya in Cast A and Elizabeth Palma in Cast B, has devised a plan to get the subjects of his blackmail all in one building and extort them further for monetary gain. However, when Mr. Boddy winds up dead, his butler Wadsworth, played by Palma in Cast A and senior Victoria Wolf in Cast B, and the murder mystery participants are forced to uncover who killed Mr. Boddy before the police arrive. However, all of the potential murderers are stuck inside, so everyone must cautiously watch their back. With a few unexpected guests and deaths along the way, the group must stay alert if they want to get out of Mr. Boddy’s mansion alive.

**SACRÉ BLEU:** Professor Plum, played by senior Alex Urdaz, Ms. Scarlet, played by senior Elena Cabrera and Ms. White, played by senior Mia Garcia, sit in the study in discussion. After being held captive in the mansion, the suspects began to interact with each other. *Photo by Aleksi Holder*

“I really liked it because I felt like since it was such a small cast, I connected with every person that I worked with and everybody that was on stage,” said junior Amy Reid. “It helped me as an actress because I was able to learn how to analyze what I am going to put out there.“

In Ms. Nesmith’s poem prior to the show, she mentioned that “Clue” had proven challenging for the cast, and the musical theater students agreed. Although they were accustomed to discontinuous conversations when acting, the cast members found that the ongoing banter in “Clue” made it more difficult than their other shows. Regardless, with rehearsals Monday, Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as extra practice in and out of class, the musical theater students were able to produce a hilarious, yet nail-biting play that had people on the edge of their seats.

“She just wanted to push us and she always said from the beginning that this show is going to be really hard,” said senior Mia Garcia. “It was hard with all the sets and movements and learning the lines because it is like a never-ending conversation between everybody so it was really hard, but I liked how she pushed us to do new things.”

For “Clue,” the drama department decided to rent their sets which allowed for a more grand appearance as it took up the whole stage rather than a section. As a result of senior Katie Wulf’s hard work on set design, the show was immersive and the feeling of being a part of the play itself was discernible. One of the charms of the show and game are the color-coordinated costumes with Mr. Green, played by seniors Garret Carr in Cast A and Riley Ramon in Cast B, wearing a green suit and tie, and Ms. Scarlet, played by ?? Isabella Rodriguez in Cast A and senior Elena Cabrera in Cast B, in a bright red dress. The costumes were visually appealing with actors adding their own personality to the characters. After going to both A and B cast shows, the difference in character portrayal was apparent, and it contributed to the engagement to the play.

“We had a set designer, Katie Wulf. She sat down with our director Ms. Nesmith and they designed it themselves,” Reid said. “Then seeing their vision come to life, I thought it was really awesome.”