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Review: CLUE at STAGES St. Louis In The Ross Family Theater At The Kirkwood Performing Arts Center

St. Louis Stages is producing their first play in decades with their astonishing, brilliant and comical production of CLUE. The dictionary doesn’t hold enough superlatives to describe the superb quality of this production. This review is going to sound cliché in its description but be assured that a hysterical and entertaining 90-minutes awaits anyone who buys a ticket to witness murder, see whodunnit and experience theatrical excellence.

CLUEDO 2 - THE NEXT CHAPTER Will Embark on UK Tour in 2024

Following the huge success of the critically acclaimed original play, Cluedo is back on stage in 2024 with a brand new comedy mystery. The hilarious whodunnit returns with a new story, a new house, new suspects and lots of new bodies.

CLUE National Tour to Launch in Minneapolis in February 2024 - Full Route Announced!

Producers The Araca Group, Work Light Productions, and Lively McCabe Entertainment have announced that a North American tour of CLUE, the hilarious murder mystery comedy inspired by the board game and adapted from the cult favorite film, will launch in Minneapolis, MN, playing the Orpheum Theatre from February 27 to March 3, 2024.

Feature: 2COUNTRY4NASHVILLE at JJ's Grill Fort Smith

Two of my favorite things to do are listening to my talented friends play great music and eating delicious food in super cool restaurants. I mean....I have to treat myself sometimes, right? Of course, I do, and that is exactly what I did when 2Country4Nashville, made up of Jo-el and LeAnne Ulmer, played at JJ’s Grill Fort Smith last weekend. It was a perfect combination for a perfect Saturday night. 

Full Cast Of CLUE Set at STAGES St. Louis

STAGES St. Louis has revealed the full cast of the farcical murder-mystery, Clue - performing July 21 - August 20 at The Ross Family Theatre at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center.

RSC Announces Full Cast for MACBETH Playing This Summer

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has announced the full cast for Wils Wilson’s upcoming production of Shakespeare’s gripping and brutal tragedy, Macbeth, which opens in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from Saturday 19 August – Saturday 14 October 2023.

ANIMAL KINGDOM Comes to PJPAC This Month

Welcome to ‘Animal Kingdom’, a play that brings together two of the most beloved stories of all time: The Lion King and The Jungle Book. In this play, first you will see how Simba, the young lion prince, face the challenges of growing up. And then join the adventures of Mowgli, the man-cub raised by wolves, before he was reunited with human folk.

THE WIZARD OF OZ Leads Our Top Ten Shows for July

burbSummer in the city brings some red-hot theatrical treats. From a journey down the yellow brick road, to contemporary opera and fiery flamenco, July has something for everyone.

Review: CLUE at Syracuse Stage

Syracuse Stage closes its 2022-23 season with the madcap farce, Clue. Based on the iconic 1950’s board game of the same name, Clue spoofs whodunit mysteries, film noir, 1950’s pop culture and gothic horror films. The play is adapted for stage from the 1985 film that was a critical flop but has since become a cult classic. Set during McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee hearings, a time fraught with suspicion and accusation, the mansion owned by Mr. Boddy becomes the gathering point for six invited guests. These guests we find out are all guarded about their pasts, are all being blackmailed and are referred to by aliases that correspond to the famous characters in the board game. Each guest is then gifted one of the six murder weapons. In all, there are six potential murderers, six weapons and nine rooms in the mansion, 324 possibilities for who, what and where; as Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes agree, now “the game is afoot.” The gothic mansion, the dark and stormy night, the suspenseful reality of the play merge with Parker Brothers’ (now Hasbro’s) rule book and the characters become mashups of villains and game pieces. They punctuate the endings of scenes with comic confusion, mad scrambling and a kind of frantic skipping, like game pieces moving on a board after a dice roll. Scenic designer, Czerton Lim, creates the perfect 3-D version of the original board game. Upon entering the theatre, the audience sees a classic gothic foyer, complete with crystal chandelier, mahogany woodwork, marble stairs and a tiled floor fashioned to replicate the spaces on a game board. As the play progresses, the set becomes a character in itself as it transforms into the rooms of the mansion required by both the game and the play. His design is beautiful and functional. It not only provides a setting but also helps establish the humor and tempo of the play. It always surprises and delights. Likewise, original music by Michael Holland and sound design by Todd Mack create a comically suspenseful mood and punctuate the zany exploits on stage. Along with lighting design by Jared Gooding, the cliché of a dark and stormy night permeates the atmosphere and heightens the tension and anxiety of this mock thriller. The production is at its best when the actors are highly choreographed and in tune with the music, sound and light cues. In fact, the funniest moment in the play is prompted by a single gunshot. Director Benjamin Hanna establishes a fast pace from the very beginning of the play. It is so fast and furious that neither the audience nor the actors are allowed to get their bearings. The characters in Clue are obvious stereotypes but the portrayals all share the same frenetic quality without ever establishing basic, underlying traits and motivations. Characterization, for the most part, has been sacrificed to blatant silliness and camp. (There is nothing in the script that requires the beginning to move at such a pace.) Once the first murder occurs and the stakes are raised the speed can and should pickup through the end. For example, Plum is a stereotypical Professor, haughty and cerebral but cursed with an inflated libido. Beethovan Oden has a nice general feel for the character and indicates his personality traits, but he isn’t able to develop those qualities from the onset of the play. If he had, then as the pace became more frantic the audience could have enjoyed watching him first struggle then ultimately fail to keep his composure. Clearly many of the actors are talented. John Taylor Phillips as Wadsworth has a natural presence on stage as well as crisp comic timing but never fully embodies the stereotypical reserved, unflappable and ultimately arrogant butler. Emily Berman as Miss Scarlet is also clean and precise. Miss Scarlet is a stereotypical Madame but the actress is not allowed to explore the cynism and sexuality of the character who should have a slower, more voluptuous pace than some of the others. Henry Woronicz’s Colonel Mustard vacillates appropriately between being doddering and demanding. He sketches out an interesting frame for his character but again seems to fall prey to the tempo of this runaway train. Claire Wilcher makes a strong acting choice to play Mrs. Peacock with the nervous energy of a bird. Her comedy is broad and eccentric while still grounded in reality. Even when she is in the background of the action, she is always in the moment. When given focus, she commands the stage and rate of action. As a result, her portrayal is very funny and very satisfying to watch. Her least successful moments occur when directed to do something out of character simply for a laugh. Less successfully, Eric Sharp’s Mr. Green and Emjoy Gavino’s Mrs. White just seem lost in the silliness and frenetic mayhem. As lovers of farce and broad comedy, we were disappointed that more care wasn’t taken to create an underlying believability before descending into comic chaos. A stock character when presented by an actor still needs to have specificity. Silliness can be funny, comic bits enjoyable and a fast pace exciting, but they need to be balanced and well executed. By the end of the production, it felt like all 324 murder possibilities were explored, but few realities remained. If you are looking for an evening of fast-paced silliness, screwball comedy and sight gags this production satisfies. As a farce poking fun at human frailty and foibles, Benjamin Hanna’s Clue misses the mark. Clue runs through Sunday, June 25th. Tickets can be purchased by visiting SyracuseStage.org or by calling (315) 443-3275 or by visiting the box office at 820 East Genesee Street. did our critic think of CLUE at Syracuse Stage?

Cast and Creatives Revealed For Australian Premiere of ELVIS: A MUSICAL REVOLUTION

David Venn Enterprises has announced the cast and creative team for the professional premiere of Elvis: A Musical Revolution. Penned by acclaimed international writers, Elvis: A Musical Revolution is a new bio-musical exploring the extraordinary life of award-winning cultural icon and rock ‘n’ roll superstar, Elvis Presley.

Feature: Barth Grayson Farms Brings Back KNOBSTOCK and Plans for The Future

If there is a Heaven on Earth, Barth Grayson Farms in Bald Knob could possibly be it. At approximately 1,000 acres, give or take a few hundred, this land has it all: walking trails, a gorgeous 8-acre lake, vegetable gardens, herds of frolicking deer, and rolling hills that cater to the multitudes of music lovers that visit the area.  

Review: ELVIS-A MUSICAL REVIEW at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre

Elvis-A Musical Revolution is not among the better musical theater bio-shows.  Jersey Boys, Get on your Feet, and Buddy-the Buddy Holly Story are all significantly better.  Ironically, it is not even the best Elvis bio-musical.  Check out Million Dollar Quartet instead.

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