Review: INTERVIEW WITH MADELINE RAUBE OF CLUE at Hershey Theatre

Broadway World interviews Madeline Raube!

Madeline Raube is thrilled to be playing Mrs. Peacock on the North American tour of CLUE and especially excited to be back in Hershey! A Philly-area native, Madeline grew up going to Hersheypark and still makes a trip back every summer around her birthday, so getting to perform here again is extra special. She previously toured with Anastasia the Musical as Countess Lily, a dream role that combined her love of singing and comedy, which she performed more than 500 times. Her performing career has taken her to stages including Radio City Music Hall, New World Stages in Times Square, the Tuacahn Amphitheatre, Yankee Stadium, and Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park. She has also recorded on a Broadway cast album and worked on commercial voiceover projects.

Madeline holds a Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music in Musical Theatre Performance from New York University. When she's not onstage, she teaches voice lessons virtually to singers around the world, helping them build their technique and confidence. She even continues teaching while on tour, traveling with a roll-up piano! Madeline can't wait to bring some laughs to longtime CLUE fans and hopefully win over some new ones. She's especially excited to perform for her friends and family from the Philly area!

BWW: What is it about CLUE that has made it such a popular and flexible franchise over the years?

MR: I think the beauty of CLUE is that it's something anyone can enjoy. The board game is simple to understand: figure out who did it, with what weapon, and in what room. But then you add all these completely different characters, everyone has secrets, and you have a murder mystery! What's not to love?

I think the movie took everything people love about the game and added so much comedy and chaos, and the play really captures all of that. We've had audience members anywhere from 8 to 80 years old, and I think it's because everyone loves a good mystery and a good laugh! It's so fun to see people come dressed as Miss Scarlet or Professor Plum, and it's a reminder that CLUE really is for everyone. You don't have to know anything about the game or the movie to have a great time. You just get to sit back, watch a bunch of crazy characters try to figure out who's lying, and see what happens.

BWW: CLUE the film was not initially very successful when it premiered in the 80s but has grown into an iconic classic. What do you think kept it from being initially appreciated by audiences?

MR: It's hard to imagine the movie not being successful at first because it's such an iconic classic now! The movie famously has multiple endings, which I think was a really fun way to honor the unpredictability of the board game. But I can also understand how that might have been confusing for audiences or left people wanting one final, definitive ending. And the movie moves FAST! There is so much dialogue and so many jokes that you have to keep up with it.

I think what the play does so well, thanks to our playwright, Sandy Rustin, and our director, Casey Hushion, is keep all of that fast-paced comedy while building to one big payoff at the end. The dialogue is still incredibly fast, but it almost has a musical rhythm to it. We've worked so hard on making it feel natural and easy to follow, even when there's a million things happening at once. You still get all the iconic moments and your favorite quotes from the movie, but the best part of live theatre is that the audience is right there with us. We get to hold for laughter, wait for a joke to land, and feed off the energy in the room. Every audience is different, and that makes every show a little different, too. That's one of my favorite things about doing live theatre.

BWW:  How difficult is it to equally balance the suspense of a murder mystery with the humor of a farce comedy?

MR: Honestly, I think that's what makes it so much fun! The trick is that we can't go into the show thinking we're doing a comedy. Every night, we have to remind ourselves that this is our first night at Boddy Manor, we have no idea why we've been invited, and suddenly we're surrounded by people who might be hiding some pretty dark secrets. Every character has something to hide, something to protect, and possibly a reason to kill...

I always remind myself that Mrs. Peacock doesn't know she's in a comedy! For her, everything is very serious, and she has no idea how ridiculous things are getting. When we play those circumstances honestly, the comedy just happens. The writing is so brilliant and funny that we don't have to force it. We just have to commit to what our characters are going through and let everything unfold. It's so much fun to be onstage with a group of people who are all genuinely trying to solve a murder while everything around them is falling apart.

BWW: How does the cast keep up a level of manic energy over the course of an entire show? Are you physically and mentally exhausted at curtain call?

MR: We are ABSOLUTELY exhausted at curtain call, but in the best way! CLUE is such a unique show because it's about 75 minutes with no intermission, and once we step onstage, we pretty much don't leave. We might get 30 seconds to two minutes offstage here and there to grab some water, take off a jacket, or stand in front of a fan, but that's about it!

It's a lot of dialogue and a LOT of physical comedy. Slaps, spit-takes, fainting, backbends... you name it. We really have to stay in shape for this show. During sound-check in every new theatre, a bunch of us do what I've coined the "Peacock Plank." I set a timer for one minute, and we all circle up and do a plank together. It's become a fun little pre-show ritual, and it definitely gets us ready to go!

I always say that doing a musical is like running a marathon, but CLUE is a sprint. In a musical, you usually have moments backstage to change costumes, catch your breath, or get ready for your next entrance. In this show, there's really no time for that! You have to stay on your toes the entire time, both physically and mentally.

BWW: Which CLUE character would you least like to join you in an escape room and why?

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