“Clue: On Stage" at the Timber Lake Playhouse -- August 1 through 11.
Thursday, August 1, through Sunday, August 11
Timber Lake Playhouse, 8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll IL
Described by DC Metro Theatre Arts as a mystery comedy with “a dizzy, stimulating joy that makes it a whole lot of fun,” the movie and board-game adaptation Clue: On Stage takes residence at Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse August 1 through 11, the show a farcical riot that, according to Broadway World, “creates one laugh after another – and a series of 'Ah-hah!'s – as the audience is led on a merry chase.”
With its script a collaborative effort between Sandy Rustin, Eric Pryce, Tony-nominated Little Shop of Horrors performer Hunter Foster, and Jonathan Lynn, the latter of whom directed the beloved 1985 film version, a classic board game is brought to life in Clue: On Stage. In the show, on a dark and stormy night, six unique guests are invited to a dinner party thrown by an anonymous host who calls himself Mr. Boddy. The visitors are given aliases – Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum, and Miss Scarlet – and although they're discouraged from revealing personal information, it's soon discovered that all of them have fallen victim to the same blackmailer, who happens to be their very host for the evening. With the mansion's butler, maid, and cook also mixed up in the outrageous action, Mr. Boddy eventually turns up dead, and what follows is a madcap, slapstick evening full of murder, mystery, and laughs as those who remain seek to puzzle out the culprit amongst a gaggle of possible criminals.
Known as Cluedo abroad, the Clue board game was originally marketed as "The Great New Detective Game" upon its launch in 1949 in North America. A deal was quickly struck to license "The Great New Sherlock Holmes Game" from the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle estate. Advertising at the time suggested players would take on the guise of "Sherlock Holmes following the path of the criminal," but no depictions of Holmes appear in the advertising or on the box. From 1950 until the 1960s, the game was marketed as "The Great Detective Game," at which time it became the "Parker Brothers Detective Game." With the launch of the U.S. 1972 edition, a television commercial showed Holmes and Watson engaged in a particularly competitive game. Adjusting with the times, in 1979 U.S. television commercials a detective, resembling a bumbling Inspector Clouseau from the popular Pink Panther film franchise, looks for clues. Over the years, the board game spawned a franchise, which has included the 1985 feature film, a 1997 musical, a 2011 mini-series, numerous books, several video games, and stage adaptations.
Cody Jolly returns to the TLP stage as Wadsworth, the butler. The suspects are portrayed by TLP Resident Company members Morgan Milone (Miss Scarlet), Sitare Sadeghi (Mrs. Peacock), Malaika Wanjiku (Mrs. White), Adam Brett (Colonel Mustard), Joshua Credle (Professor Plum), and Lucas Diego Marinetto (Mr. Green). Caroline Lynch Desmarais takes on the role of Yvette, and Gabriela Hernandez and Kyle Ahmeer Bethea complete the ensemble. Clue: On Stage is directed by Cameron King, with the show's costumes by Nile Michelle, scenic design by Spencer Donovan, sound design by Rory Shea, and lighting design by Abi Farnsworth.
Clue: On Stage will be performed at the Mt. Carroll theatre from August 1 through 11, with scheduled performances at 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Admission is $25-35 and more information and tickets are available by calling (815)244-2035 and visiting TimberLakePlayhouse.org.
