Interview: Zoie Tannous of CLUE at BROADWAY SERIES

You’ve played the game as a kid, you quote the movie as an adult! And now it is coming to Houston! Zoie Tannous is starring in Clue, which hits the Hobby Center June 9th through the 14th as part of the BROADWAY SERIES. Zoie plays Yvette, the maid, a character you saw in the film played by Colleen Camp. BROADWAY WORLD writer Brett Cullum sat down to talk with Zoie about murder, movies, and theater. Oh, and they go into Filipino fast food, too!   

BRETT CULLUM: So, Zoie, how hard is it to come into this role and kind of escape from the iconic movie performances? I mean, really. I would hate to compete with Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Leslie Anne Warren, Eileen Brennan, and Martin Mull. 

Zoie Tannous: You know, I think it made it a lot of fun to create in the room with everybody. Colleen Camp does such a wonderful job with Yvette, and I think she was definitely a major inspiration, especially a guide for me as I was auditioning. But when we got into the room, our director, Casey Hushion, really taught us that this is a team sport. So what we're doing on stage, we're feeding off of each other's energy. It's been a really nice balance between honoring the people who created these roles before us and who are so iconic, while also juggling how much we want to pay homage to them. I mean, I grew up quoting Madeline Kahn constantly. There's a game we play: like, are we paying homage without copying? There's no level of imitation. We're feeding off of each other every single night, so creating them in the room, we had our inspiration, and then it just became, "Oh, this could be really funny. Oh, this would be really cool. I think our characters don't like each other. Alright, how can we feed into that?" So there are these subtleties you can watch, especially if you're paying attention to our eyes, which makes it really fun and dynamic.

BRETT CULLUM: Well, you know, murder mysteries, they're just so much fun, period. What do you think it is about Clue that people just love? I mean, it really has a cult following, doesn't it?

Zoie Tannous: It has a cult following, and I was one of them. I feel like I can speak to why people love Clue in general. There is a balance between subtle nuances, maybe for older ages, while still simple enough for a kid to understand. It's a family-friendly film, board game, and play, and I think what makes people love it is the memories it evokes. I don't think I've met many people who have come to the show who haven't played the board game or seen the film as a kid. Even since being in Clue, I'll be watching things. I was watching Housewives the other day, and Lisa literally starts quoting the movie version of Clue. Every single character is very different. There's sophistication, I think, within this murder mystery that makes it fun. There's also a buoyant quality to this murder mystery because it's meant to be laughed at. We're not taking anything too seriously. That balance between sophistication and comedy really makes it lovable. It makes people want to laugh. And then, of course, the connection to childhood that it brings for so many, including myself, makes it a really enjoyable watch.

BRETT CULLUM: Did you play the board game growing up?

Zoie Tannous: I did. I did, and my character's not in the board game.

BRETT CULLUM: I know, the servants aren't, are they?

Zoie Tannous: No, they're not. The one that I grew up with was the classic one with the green cards. My brother always played Mr. Green; I always played Miss Scarlet; my dad was Colonel Mustard; and I could never say the word "Colonel." My mom was usually Mrs. White, and every so often, we'd play around. But even my cousin, when she came to see the show, started cracking me up because she was like, "When you told me that this is what you booked, me being not from the theater, I was so happy for you because I remember you and Zach. You two always brought out Clue from your game closet in your garage. What we never told you as kids is none of the rest of us liked it, but you two loved it so much that we always played." And I just started cracking up because I was like, "How could you not like Clue?" But I think that's another part of the fun, as an audience member, you're figuring it out with them, and I know that's what always made me like the board game and the movie and now the play.

BRETT CULLUM: You know, it's funny, you guys are coming in June, which is Pride Month!

Zoie Tannous: You know what? I think it's so important to also mention it's been awesome in all of our talkbacks and anytime I'm stagedooring. There are so many schools that have also done Clue, and what I'm loving is that I will have people from any gender playing any kind of role. There was this person who was male-identifying outside, and he goes, "I just want to tell you, I got to do my first drag in this show." And we said, "What?" He goes, "I got to play Mrs. Peacock. Do you want to see my costume?" And we were like, "Of course! Of course!" It's just been brilliant. Then we have all these young people who are like, "Well, I played Mr. Green, and I really wanted to play Mr. Green, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to because I'm female-presenting." And we're like, "No, no. These characters are accessible to all of you." The roles are so inherently human. It doesn't matter who plays what role. It's been awesome. That's been one of my favorite parts of stage touring: meeting the kids who've gotten to play this and have those experiences.

BRETT CULLUM: How long have you been on this Clue tour?

Zoie Tannous: We left in October of last year. We started out in Rochester, and we have been on the road since then. For me, a big survival thing on tour is just knowing what happens the next couple of days, maybe the next week, and that's that. Otherwise, I get a little overwhelmed with how many places we're going. But we've been on the road since October, and it has been a dream come true. It's been awesome. I love touring.

BRETT CULLUM: How long is this tour?

Zoie Tannous: This leg, or this portion, will end in August, and then we'll pick up again in LA.

BRETT CULLUM: Oh wow. So, have you ever been to Houston before?

Zoie Tannous: I have not. Actually, my first time in Texas has been this tour. It's been awesome. I'm really looking forward to Houston. I have heard such great things about the food there. I have heard such great things about the people. I'm so looking forward to it.

BRETT CULLUM: We are a food city. What's your favorite kind of food?

Zoie Tannous: Well, my favorite kind of food varies on the day. I'd say that I'm very into Thai food, Japanese food, and Mexican food. I'm Filipino. I love Filipino food.

BRETT CULLUM: We have Jollibee here in Houston.

Zoie Tannous: Oh, I will be getting Jollibee. I have to. That makes me so excited. That is something to look forward to. I love their spaghetti.  And the mango pie!

BRETT CULLUM: Around the Jollibee in the Medical Center, they've built up all of these different bakeries and restaurants and stuff, and it's all Filipino.

Zoie Tannous: I've been so looking forward to Houston. I think getting to be there, especially in Pride Month, we've been looking forward to Pride Month on this tour for a while. At some theaters, we get to do wall tags, so we've been saving our rainbow colors for that, and it's just going to be a lot of fun.

BRETT CULLUM: So let's ask you, Zoie, how did you get into acting?

Zoie Tannous: I got into acting really early. I went to a small school. I kind of started in choir first, so I came in with a singing lens. As a kid, I used to tell people I wanted to be Mariah Carey, so I loved singing. But then I think over time my parents were like, "We think she just really likes the dramaticism, the persona." My school put on small plays, and I would do that, and I found that to be really fun. Then I switched schools in seventh to eighth grade, and I found that I needed solace. I needed a community, a place to feel a little safer, because that's a really scary time to switch schools.

So I asked my parents if I could do our community theater nearby, and I did. I got to do Fiddler on the Roof. We did Bye Bye Birdie. I got bit by the bug so hard, especially once I was in an environment with actual costumes, a backstage, lighting, and all that kind of stuff. I found the community to be so accepting and positive, and I leaned right into it. So I kept going! Then, in college, I actually tried to step away from it. I thought, "You know what? It might be my time. I'm going to go do psychology." I think I was away from it for maybe one month before finally I was like, "What am I doing? I really already miss it. I feel like this is my calling." So I added it back into my curriculum, and I'm so happy I did. It's really been since childhood. It started as just a play, and then I think I kept figuring out I needed it in my life and kept going.

BRETT CULLUM: It's so great to make it as an artist. Is this your first tour?

Zoie Tannous: It's my first tour. It's been a dream. I had spent about five years in the city after moving to New York, thinking that more and more would happen for me. It's a really slow climb, as it can be. I had never really sent my auditions to my parents, but this one, I was like, "This is really funny. I'm going to send it to them." So I sent it to them. And they were like, "We think this is the one." And I was like, "Of course you do. You're my parents. You're going to think every one is the one." And it was. I remember the feeling of getting to call everyone and tell them I actually did it, and the feeling of, "Whoa, I don't have to do my desk job anymore." All of those small milestones that you look forward to as an actor. It's really nothing other than pure delusion and belief in yourself that it'll happen. So the fact that it has, and it's with this awesome show, with a wonderful group of people, with a show that honestly just brings joy everywhere.

Clue leaves you laughing. It leaves you with your face hurting and your belly sore. Whether you connected with a stranger in the audience that day and went alone, or you brought your family and friends, it is a show that breeds connection because there's nothing you can do but laugh. It's such a wonderful opportunity to be in a show like that, which brings that kind of happiness and connection. Especially in this time, we need as much as brings people together and helps us find our commonalities. I think joy is the biggest way to do that. Theater just does that for people, and Clue especially. It is an escape, but also it's this high-intensity murder mystery, so you kind of get to lean into both sides of fear and joy. When those two things combust together into the ridiculousness that it can be in certain moments, it feels like such a release.

I remember even at the table read, just hearing some of the lines that Sandy Rustin has written into this script for the first time out loud through the lens of my fellow actors, I was like, "Oh, I think I've hit a pot of gold. I think this is going to be really good." Everywhere we go, there are people who have mentioned to us, "This evening is exactly what I needed." It's been an honor.

BRETT CULLUM: Do you have a favorite role besides Yvette that you've done so far?

Zoie Tannous: I think the favorite role I've had was Cinderella in Into the Woods in college. I just love Sondheim. It was the last thing I got to do before COVID. If I could go back and do that show again, I would. I eventually want to have played every single role in that show. Being in a Sondheim show in the first place teaches you so much musically and as an actor because he's a very actor-first writer, even in his music. That role was so much fun because you see how smart Cinderella really is. I love playing roles like that where people might look at her like she's naïve, but really, there's a lot of power and depth to the character. That's one I'd love to do again.

BRETT CULLUM: Do you have any idea what's next for you?

Zoie Tannous: I think I'm trying really hard to stay very present. It's really easy in life to constantly be wondering what's next, what's next, what's next. For me, especially having spent five years waiting for something to happen, it's really important to recognize what I have in front of me right now and what a special moment in life this is. I've formed really strong bonds with the people I'm with, so I'm trying really hard to be very present.

I'm still doing what I can to be active in the audition scene, of course, just to keep myself afloat and keep that skill sharp. But ultimately, anytime my brain goes on to what's next, I try to remind myself exactly what I have now and the things I'm grateful for about this moment. We have a golden day coming up, which basically means it's a day where we don't travel and we don't do a show. Our company management is so cool, and they're taking us to Niagara Falls. I've never been to Niagara Falls, and I've always wanted to go. We're going to get to see both the U.S. side and the Canadian side. That's something I've really been looking forward to.

BRETT CULLUM: But of course, you are coming to the Hobby Center June 9th through the 14th. So, Zoie Tannous, what a joy. It'll be awesome to see you do it. I can't wait. I will be there on press night or whatever, just applauding as loud as I can.

Zoie Tannous: Yes, I'll be looking for you in the audience. I'll give you a wink.

BRETT CULLUM: I’ll be cosplaying Yvette, if that's okay.