In the wake of Barbie’s big summer, adaptations of intellectual properties (IP if you’re in the know) are inescapable. And like any monolith, there are good and bad. For every LEGO Movie, there’s an Emoji Movie.
Thankfully, Theatre Cedar Rapids’ Clue is a very silly slice of slapstick to be shared with an audience and one of the smarter IP adaptations. Adapted by Sandy Rustin from Jonathan Lynn’s iconic 1985 camp classic of the same name, Clue — directed locally by Mic Evans — is the rare adaptation of an adaptation: a stage iteration of a film adapted from a board game.
Knowledge of either the film or the board game will clue you into what’s going on. Six strangers are assembled in a stately manor, a murder occurs and it’s up to the group to figure out who did it. Wadsworth, an archetypal butler (played with wicked aplomb by John Miersen) and Yvette (portrayed by a perfectly ridiculous Allie Klinsky sporting a solid French accent) guide Mrs. Peacock (Carrie Pozdol), Professor Plum (Brian Smith), Mrs. White (Kara Ramirez), Mr. Green (Seth Engen), Miss Scarlet (Lauren Galliart), Colonel Mustard (Greg Smith) and the audience through the subsequent mystery.
As the assembled parties shuffle into scenic designer S. Benjamin Farrar’s elegantly composed front room, we learn that these strangers are not fully unconnected. Mr. Boddy (Craig Johnson), the elusive owner of the mansion, has gathered them all to continue his blackmail against them. When the lights go out and Mr. Boddy has been murdered, all present are suspect and must find the culprit.
Rustin’s script is, such a faithful adaptation of Lynn’s film that Mrs. White’s famous “flames on the sides of my face” line — originally improvised by Madeline Kahn in the film — finds its way into this stage version. That said, Rustin’s satire of American pearl-clutching wedges in a flimsy HUAC subplot, which is undercut by the context of the appearance of the FBI toward the end. Nevertheless, elements of the twisty plot work so well on stage that you’re simply happy to be there.
Text issues aside, Theatre Cedar Rapids’ production is excellent. The extremely funny cast fires on all cylinders, particularly Miersen, corralling the ensemble as they chase the mystery. His exaggerated tiptoe from room to room in the house is a major highlight of the production.
Speaking of rooms, Farrar’s set ingeniously peels back to reveal the famous rooms of the board game. What appears to be just a front hall transforms before your very eyes in the capable hands of the stage management team, decked out in tuxedos and led by Jeni Tucker.
The costumes by Jess Helberg resonate with the looks we know from the game and film but stand on their own as sumptuous theatrical costuming. Sam Stephen’s lights and Tyler Salow’s sound design build atmosphere from the moment the house opens, plunging the audience into the world of the play.
Clue is a perfectly timed for the Halloween season, a deliriously funny romp. Evans’ excellent and innovative production for Theatre Cedar Rapids brims with style and pure silliness perfect for the whole family.
