The following story contains mild spoilers for the Broadway play Clue: On Stage.
As a lifelong Clue fan, when the unique murder mystery board game was adapted for film and the theater, I immediately loved both newer adaptations of the original game.
However, Clue: On Stage far surpassed the Clue movie and skyrocketed past my expectations by providing an interesting twist. This was done without sacrificing unique references to the game hidden throughout the short and impressionable play that ran at only 90 minutes.
The most clear difference between the newly adapted play and its board game predecessor was the outcome at the end. Rather than have one murder, all of the six suspects ended up committing a murder at some point over the course of the play. The number of murderers provided for a storyline with six murders throughout the course of the “dinner party.” This allowed for more attention-grabbing deaths of characters the audience had grown to love over the course of the night, keeping them guessing and on their toes.
Walking into the theater, I was not expecting six bodies to be left at the end of the play, and as each death was revealed, my interest and desire to solve the crimes only heightened: an effect no doubt enabled by the plot change.
New characters were introduced as the storyline evolved, with dinner party guests ranging from a cop to a motorcyclist, arriving just as tensions between characters began to decrease. All actors, even the ones playing minor characters, demonstrated impressive range and acting skills throughout the entirety of the play.
What stood out to me above everything else was each character’s unique personality and how it came through in each line they spoke. Ms. Peacock, played by Joanna Glushack, had an ostentatious and bold personality that dominated the first half of the play, with John Shartzer’s Mr. Green concluding Clue: On Stage with a major reveal in the play’s final minutes.
Broadway brought the beloved board game to life with scandals and interesting characters portrayed in ways the audience had not pictured before. Clue: On Stage had many hilarious moments directly tying back to the original Clue game, including a reference to well-known board game creators, the Parker Brothers, and the same characters, locations (or, rather, potential murder scenes), and weapons as the board game.
Having seen both the movie Clue: The Movie (1985) and the much newer Clue: On Stage (debuting in 2017), I have to say the two were almost identical in plotlines, yet I thoroughly enjoyed the play adaptation of Clue more. Perhaps due to more comedic moments in the play or just the engrossment that comes with in-person theater, Clue: On Stage was a funnier, more engaging, and updated version of the original Clue movie.
Sony has recently acquired the rights to remake a film or TV series version of Clue, rumored to be starring big names like Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman. After enjoying the play adaptation so thoroughly, I will look to the movie theaters in the upcoming years for a remake of the outdated Clue: The Movie, yet I doubt it will top Clue: On Stage.
Despite the new Clue adaptation being released for theaters, Clue: On Stage is absolutely worth the watch the next time it reaches a theater near you. Packed with comical jokes and references, it is the perfect quick 90-minute show for any murder mystery fan or board game lover.
