Review: CLUE at Fox Theatre, St. Louis

Crime is the name of the game in Clue, now onstage at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. Based on the popular board game, which was also adapted into a film in 1985, the production turns the mystery genre's tropes and traditions upside down.

Set in 1954, the drama begins on a dark and eerie night at the Boddy Manor, where six visitors (Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum, and Miss Scarlet) arrive under false names and pretenses, on the invitation of Mr. Boddy, a shadowy figure who has blackmailed each guest. While each visitor has their own secrets, it appears that Boddy has more than all of them.

Thrown into new surroundings and caught up in a game they aren’t sure how to play, the guests' only lifeline to their host is Wadsworth, the butler, and his colleagues, Yvette the maid and the manor’s cook.

Like any good whodunnit, the bodies begin to pile up.  Suddenly, any room- the library, study, or even the conservatory could be the setting for the next tragedy. Household objects like a wrench, candlestick, rope, or lead pipe are now possible weapons.

Compounding their troubles is the fact that each guest lives in a shade of grey. Some are married to wealthy politicians, some have had husbands die mysteriously, some have no moral scruples. Things take a drastic turn when Mr. Boddy dies. Knowing that everyone has a motive and the means to kill him, the guests begin to suspect one another.

It is at this juncture that most cozy mysteries get down to business with solving the crime. But this is Clue, and it’s a farce. Instead, Sandy Rustin goes overboard at full throttle. Under her pen, the tension takes a frantic turn. The murder spree, sprinkled with physical comedy and slapstick, makes Clue a hilarious send-up filled with bodies and bawdy humor.

Guiding a talented ensemble is Adam Brett as Wadsworth the Butler. Cheeky and snarky as the estate’s butler, he steers the drama in the production. His humorous dialogue is enhanced by his perfect blend of timing and his use of physical comedy. Simply all over the place throughout the show, his national tour debut sees the arrival of a talented performer who encases his slapstick with textures of mystery and tinges of darkness.

Also fun onstage is Nick Curlott as Colonel Mustard. Playing the character as an oafish baffon, he provides some of the play’s funniest moments. His timing is also impeccable.

Sarah Mackenzie Baron’s bleak depiction of Mrs. White is also marvelous. Her droll humor and black comedy perfectly contrast the more farcical antics happening with her co-stars.

Madeline Raube’s over-the-top shenanigans as Mrs. Peacock nearly steal the show. Mixing upper-class crustiness with a more sublime vulnerability, she delivers a character rich in texture.

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