Review: CLUE: ON STAGE at Morrilton High School

April is the month when all the high schools showcase what they have been doing for the spring semester, and for our viewing pleasure this time, Morrilton High School presented CLUE: ON STAGE at the HB White Auditorium April 25-28. There was mayhem, laughter, and enough mystery to satiate all of us Clue fans who were celebrating our favorite Hasbro board game. 

Based off of the 1985 movie CLUE, this production, written by Sandy Rustin, adapted from the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn, and directed by Heather Hooten, revolves around a murder mystery that follows familiar characters like Miss Scarlet (Trinity Bell), Colonel Mustard (Aiden Allison), Mrs. White (Shiloh Mcdonald), Mr. Green (Danajah Penn), Mrs. Peacock (Lizzie Ray), and Professor Plum (Mark Belmonte) as they navigate through the mysterious circumstances surrounding the murders in the mansion. Who kills the Singing Telegram Girl (Kayli Gentry), The Cook (Audrey Leveritt), Mr. Boddy (Lamar Anderson), The Motorist (Cameron Wade), and The Unexpected Cop (Presley Ponder)? It's a mystery that isn't solved until the Cops (Mia Hicks & Kimber Price) comes in to arrest the killer. Led by Wadsworth (Erica B. Mendelssohn) and assisted by maids Yvette (Alizabeth Mariott) and (Bella Rogers), the story unfolds with twists and turns, keeping both the characters and the audience guessing until the very end.  

Each of the actors embraced their characters’ mannerisms and side stories. Marriott had the cutest, pouty accent as the maid. Bell’s Scarlet was elegant and easy going. Allison’s Mustard exuded an air of authority and Mcdonald’s White was stern and serious. Ray’s Peacock was boisterous, and Belmonte’s Plum moved with sophistication. Penn’s Green was a wildcard character, with motivations and allegiances that were not immediately clear until the end of the play, and Mendelssohn’s Wadsworth did a great job moving the story along with everyone following their lead.    

As an educator interested in the learning process of putting a production together, Director Hooten allowed the students to take the lead in creating the show and making choices that made CLUE uniquely designed by the students.  

Technical Director Kiley Viveiros said, “This is my very last show at Morrilton High School. So much work was happening. It was a little stressful and a lot to do. This is probably the first proper set we’ve done since I’ve been here at high school, and it took a long time, but the actors have been working so hard, and tech has been working so hard.” 

The work into the show was evident. The set was colorful like the board game with different layers and doors for the different rooms. The costumes matched the actors characters, and it was the first time I saw actual choreography in this show. 

“It was a cool experience to work with these students,” Kayli Gentry said. “We choreographed this in my bedroom one night and came to rehearsal and gave it to them, and it is so cool to see something we created on stage.” 

With graduation soon, we can’t wait to see what these thespians do next. Broadway World looks forward to following their theatrical aspirations.  

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