Review: Hale Centre Theatre's CLUE is a Madcap Mystery

CLUE: ON STAGE is a madcap mystery marvelously run amok on Hale Centre Theatre’s Jewel Box Stage.

CLUE: ON STAGE (written by Sandi Rustin with additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price) is based on Jonathan Lynn’s screenplay from the 1985 feature film, itself based on the Hasbro board game. Set at the height of the Red Scare, six strangers are secretly invited to a dinner party at a secluded mansion, where unexpected events unfold involving blackmail, mayhem, and murder. 

Bryan Dayley as Wadsworth (double cast with Alex King) guides the proceedings with a firm hand and injects the finale with a dose of hilarity. 

The board game characters are brought to life with gleeful abandon by Zac Zumbrunnen as Colonel Mustard (double cast with Sanford Porter), Stephanie Breinholt as Mrs. White (double cast with Mack), Sharon Lynn Kenison as Mrs. Peacock (double cast with Jayne Luke), Jeffery Whitlock as Mr. Green (double cast with Ben Parkes), Dustin Bolt as Professor Plum (double cast with Taylor Seth Hall), and Kristi Curtis as Miss Scarlet (double cast with Erin Royall Carlson).

The performances and directorial choices are enjoyable to watch and amusing to be sure, but overall they lack the kind of impeccable comic timing one hopes for in a show like this, with laughs more sporadic than sidesplitting. 

Still, CLUE is a fantastically crafted comedy worth checking out. 

The costumes by Jenn Taylor and hair/makeup by Candice Cronin are bold and true to the characters. 

The grand set, also designed by Jenn Taylor, is cleverly fashioned to move the audience effortlessly around the house, with help from the high-quality video/projection design by Josh Shipley and automation design by Nick Herring, as well as the fitting props by Danna Barney.  The lighting by Jaron Kent Hermansen puts the finishing touches on each scene. 

CLUE: ON STAGE plays through April 20, 2024. For tickets, call the box office at 801-984-9000 or visit www.hct.org.

Photo Credit: Hale Centre Theatre

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