It was Mr. Green! In the billiards room! With the dagger! Cue elaborate explanation— hold— drop lights— “That’s not how it really happened. Because we know who actually did it!” REWIND! RESET! GO! It was Clue! At The Hippodrome! With a stage show! Murder, mystery, mayhem, a manor and— six!? SIX DEAD BODIES!? That’s a lot of bodies piling up on the floor! Or in the lounge! Or wherever they’re piling up! And through May 12th they’ll be piling up nightly on the main stage of Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre at The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center! This thrilling adaptation of Clue derived from the Parker Bros board game and Tim Curry film of the same name, is so funny— you might just die laughing! Directed by Casey Hushion, this explosively humorous, frenzied farce is an excellent stage that will keep you amused and entertained right through to the curtain call.
Boddy Manor, compliments of Scenic Designer Lee Savage, will have you marveling at its mysteries from the moment its revealed to the audience. Savage’s work radiates all the vibes of the mysterious mansion house direct from the board game and 80’s movie without having cumbersome set pieces that need to appear to change the show from room to room. Savage has built the illusion of an ever-expanding mansion house with pop-out rooms, fly-in walls and doors, and an overall foreboding sense of darkness with all the rich mahogany-toned wood used liberally throughout. Part of the show’s farcical charm is the way the players skitter and mince, tip-toe and race-in-place, as the scenery changes around them— all by way of Savage’s smooth design work. Augmenting the experience is Ryan O’Gara’s Lighting Design and Jeff Human’s Sound Design. Precision cues from both O’Gara and Human create those spectacularly campy moments of heightened kitsch, particularly whenever the storm is making itself known. This trio of designers— Savage, O’Gara, and Human— are in sync with one another’s elements, making for a thrilling comedy on stage.
While not so teal, purple, and white as one might expect when it comes to envisioning the board-game-pieces-come-to-life, Costume Designer Jen Caprio does create a polished look for the characters as they gather to the party at Boddy Manor. The only characters whose costumes align with what tends to be more the traditional color schemes are that of Miss Scarlet, in her fancy evening gown of that eponymous shade, and Colonel Mustard, whose couture looks more military beige than yellow but still creates the illusion. Mr. Green does at least get green socks, which thanks to his characters and antics you get to see a couple of times as he leaps, bounds, and tumbles all about the stage. And Mrs. White— widow extraordinaire— is featured in mourning shades of black. While not quite so expected or traditional, Carprio’s sartorial selection is on point for the overall atmospheric vibe of the show.
What makes the show so brilliant is the pacing. Conversations and dialogue exchanges clip along expediently, never allowing the drive of the show to sputter, stutter, or slow. Director Casey Hushion masterfully balances the movement of the piece— both actor and the Manor itself, which acts almost like an extra character at times— against the rigorous pacing of the plot; it’s farcical genius and truly titillating, keeping the audience giggling in stitches as each new disaster unfolds. There’s even a veneer of British panto that effuses its way onto the surfaces of some of the character interactions, which only heightens the enjoyment of the performance. And a nod of praise is well deserved to Fight Director Robert Westley for all the hands (and feet and other moves of action) that he has in the project. The performance leans heavily on the humors of physical comedy and the cast does not disappoint in the least when it comes to this particular element.
Alex Syiek, Teddy Trice, and Mariah Burks— Mr. Boddy, The Cop, The Cook, respectively— all get the joy of their assigned characters and the addition of ‘and others’, which gives them each ample opportunity to shine in moments of hilarity. Mariah Burks in particular gets a half-second of glorious and hilarious limelight action when she shows up near the end of the performance as the singing telegram girl. Syiek, whose initial appearance as the rough-attitude-rolling, Jersey-harsh-sounding Mr. Boddy will stick from start to finish, definitely hangs around in some of his other roles and Teddy Trice handles the back-handed flippancy of his cop character superbly. They’re each bringing their finely honed skills to the table in this production and its all part of the roaring avalanche of fun that comes crashing down on the stage as the night goes on.
The usual suspects— Mrs. White (Tari Kelly), Mrs. Peacock (Joana Glushak), Miss Scarlet (Michelle Elaine), Professor Plum (Jonathan Spivey), Colonel Mustard (John Treacy Egan), and Mr. Green (John Shartzer)— are popping off the stage in the most animated fashion imaginable. Add to the delectable chaos the character of Yvette (Elisabeth Yancey) with her intentionally-over-the-top-outrageous-French accent, and you’re in for a truly exquisite evening of entertainment. Watching Yancey mince and spin her way around the floor through the various ‘movement-dance’ scenes of room-transition is a bonus as she’s extremely vivacious in her movements. And her comedic timing, much like the rest of the ensemble, is impeccable.
Was it sassy Miss Scarlett (Michelle Elaine) in the bedroom with the rope? Elaine brings a larger than life sense of humor to her character and is excellent with the one-lined quip-backs, particularly when mouthing off in response to accusatory questions. Or was it dimwitted Colonel Mustard (Joh Treacy Egan) in the library with the revolver? Hilariously inclined to weaponize the character’s ignorance, a great deal of Egan’s laughable moments come from the character’s incompetence, particularly when he delivers those ‘misheard’ replies to anyone asking him questions. Or perhaps it was Professor Plum (Jonathan Spivey) in the drawing room with the wrench? Spivey holds his own in this cast of true characters, particularly when it comes to utilizing his character’s particular breed of intelligence.
The widow White (Tari Kelly) is almost more femme fatale than Miss Scarlet and not a scene goes by where Kelly doesn’t remind you of that. Snappy with a comeback, edgy, and completely engrossed in her character’s quirks, she’s giving everyone a run for their money in this performance. And then there’s the rowdier-than-anticipated Mrs. Peacock (Joana Glushak), who has high-morals, a high-tolerance for alcohol and a hilarious way of sneaking it into her character’s mouth every few moments. Both Kelly and Glushak are wildly fanciful when it comes to watching them during the group scrambles— and the two scenes that are happening in the various ‘pull-out’ rooms once the Cop comes to Boddy Manor.
In a knock-down, drag-out, full-on show-down for who is more physically engaged in this performance—Wadsworth (Mark Price) and Mr. Green (John Shartzer) go head to head— toe to toe— armpit to armpit— you get the idea— and it’s utter comedic gold! Price may be the narrative ring-leading figure and his indefatigable energy knows no bounds. Near the conclusion of the show, Price delivers an entire whirlwind recap of the performance up to that point, complete with pantomime gestures, mocked-accents, hilarious physicality, and an ability to zip and zoom all around the space in a way that makes you exhausted just to look at him. Carrying that highly affected British accent the whole time is equally entertaining, particularly when he starts to panic. Shartzer, on the other hand, has a body that appears to be made of noodles and string for all of the zany, contortionist moves that he executes throughout the evening. The callback joke for Shartzer’s Mr. Green is constantly ending up crushed or smooshed under something. Or someone. And when one of the chandeliers gets shot— and the whole scene rolls into slow-motion-action complete with blinking lights and a slow-descent of said chandelier— the audience goes NUTS because of how Shartzer bends, bows, practically flips back over himself and lands under it— IN SLOW MOTION. The amount of physical tenacity and training that must take to successfully pull that off (and the audience rewards him with a well-deserved ovation) is simply astonishing.
Shartzer and Price really go all out in the final few moments of the production, mirror-copying one another with some fight choreography and some madcap dance-dashing all around the stage and it’s utterly epic. It’s hard to say who comes out on top when it comes to physical comedic execution between the pair, particularly with the unending…scene…that Price throws down near the penultimate moment of the performance. The entire ensemble is hysterical and the performance as a whole is an uproarious scream, but Shartzer and Price will have you guessing until the end when it comes to figuring out whodunnit best— physical comedy and delivery, that is!
It’s no mystery— you must get tickets to see Clue! Before the Mansion moves on to another city and strikes up mayhem outside the bounds of Maryland!
Running Time: Approximately 75 minutes with no intermission
Clue plays through May 12th 2024 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre on the Main Stage of The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center- 12 North Eutaw Street Baltimore, MD 21201. For tickets call (410) 837-7400 or purchase them online.
