VOICE CHOICE

"A hilarity of a whacky who-dun-it. This marvellous comic ensemble maintains the rapid-fire pacing with a stylish and polished enthusiasm."

I'm giving this North American tour a VOICE CHOICE recommendation. It is the silly entertainment we all need right now.

I needed a good laugh. This 'Clue' provides it.

Others around me were howling with uncontrolled laughter, so they must have needed the play, too.

Don't look for any Arthur Miller or Tennessee Williams life-altering messages. There aren't any.

Instead, allow Sandy Rustin's whacky script (based on Jonathan Lynn's screenplay with additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price) to win you over.

On a dark and stormy evening in 1954 in New England (terrific light and sound designs by Ryan O'Gara and Jeff Human, respectively), six mysterious guests are invited to Boddy Manor for dinner. (Get the play on words? Boddy-body)

The host, Mr. Boddy (Mark Jude Sullivan), shares information about each of his guests that ultimately leads to blackmail.

David Hess's Colonel Mustard is a dimwit military man. Donna English's suddenly widowed Mrs. White harbours secrets of her own. Jennifer Allen is the rather loud and, at times, obnoxious, ultra-Christian senator's wife, Mrs. Peacock. A possible duality in John Shartzer's Mr. Green leads to many laughs. Evan Zes's Professor Plum thinks he's a ladies' man, but he's not. Sarah Hollis is a seductive and sexy Miss Scarlet.
Supporting characters round out the ensemble: the mysterious butler Wadsworth (Jeff Skowron), the over-the-top French-accented maid Yvette (Elisabeth Yancey), and the prickly, irritable Cook (Mariah Burks).

Director Casey Hushion beautifully brings these two-dimensional characters hilariously to three-dimensional life in a rapid-fire of sight gags and clever innuendo. The play's torpedo-like pacing relentlessly never slows down. This comic ensemble is up for the challenge of maintaining this quick pace and succeeding brilliantly.
Lee Savage's Scenic Design is a visual highlight. The Boddy Manor amply fills the Royal Alexandra stage and doesn't look cramped. Various rooms in the manor, such as the lounge, the kitchen, and the library, are ingeniously brought to the audience's view with no squeaking wheel sounds underneath. Jen Caprio's Costume Designs appropriately fit the idiosyncrasies of each character and the era.

I hesitate to single out individuals in top-notch controlled ensemble work like this production, but I'll do my best to discuss each without spoiling any of the plot twists.

At one point, John Shartzer's Mr. Green's nimble agility is an awesome nod to a sequence drawn from the film The Matrix. Watch just how low Shartzer goes. It made my jaw drop. The audience applauded in approval. As butler Wadsworth, Jeff Skowron delivers a skewering monologue about 4/5 of the way through with vocal precision and breath control. Again, the audience applauded him.

As the Cook, Mariah Burks does something to announce dinner that makes me laugh as I can picture it the next day. Evan Zes, as Professor Plum, and Sarah Hollis, as Miss Scarlet, do a quick exchange of her card for his service, that again makes me laugh. Elisabeth Yancey is a hoot as Yvette whenever she appears.

An over-the-top performance might spoil comedy, but Jennifer Allen never allows her Mrs. Peacock to do that. Allen brings it close to the edge for amusing effect, but it never crosses that line. Donna English's Mrs. White remains mysterious throughout, accoutred in her widow black dress and stiletto heels. David Hess's Colonel Mustard's dimwittedness also adds to some of the adult innuendo within the story.

Great fun. Go and see this 'Clue'.

I now want to play the board game. Any takers?

Running time: approximately 80 minutes with no interval/intermission.

'Clue The North American Tour' runs until June 8 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. For tickets, Mirvish.com or call 1-800-461-3333.

THE ARACA GROUP, WORK LIGHT PRODUCTIONS, LIVELY MCCABE ENTERTAINMENT, AND AGED IN WOOD present

'Clue, Live on Stage!' based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn. Written by Sandy Rustin. Additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Pierce. Based on the Paramount Pictures Motion Picture and the Hasbro board game.
Directed by Casey Hushion
Scenic Design: Lee Savage
Costume Design: Jen Caprio
Lighting Design: Ryan O'Gara
Sound Design: Jeff Human
Hair, Wig and Makeup Design: J. Jared Janas
Composer and Music Supervision: Michael Holland
Production Stage Manager: Patrick Wetzel

Performers: Jennifer Allen, Mariah Burks, Donna English, David Hess, Sarah Hollis, Jamil A. C. Mangan, John Shartzer, Jeff Skowron, Mark Jude Sullivan, Elisabeth Yancey, Evan Zes.

(Photo Credit: Evan Zimmerman for Murphymade. Pictured: The North American Touring Cast)