URI Theatre investigates whodunit comedy with ‘Clue: On Stage’
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| Riley Nedder (Mrs. White), Liam Roberts (Wadsworth), and Sydney Davey (Miss Scarlet), in “Clue: On Stage.” (URI photo by Jesse Dufault) |
Was it Miss
Scarlet in the conservatory with the rope or Col. Mustard in the billiards room
with the candlestick?
Either way, Mr. Boddy probably won’t survive the
night as the University of Rhode Island Theatre Department brings the whodunit,
“Clue: On Stage,” to the Robert E. Will Theatre starting Thursday, Dec. 2.
“Clue: On Stage” is written by Sandy Rustin,
based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn for the 1985 Paramount Pictures motion
picture, with additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price and original
music by Michael Holland. The cult classic film was, of course, based on the
board game by Hasbro, which is sponsoring URI Theatre’s 2021-2202 season.
If you’ve played the game or seen the film, you
know the basics. On a fittingly dark and stormy night, the usual suspects with
colorful nicknames – Mrs. Peacock, Mrs. White, Prof. Plum, and Mr. Green, along
with Scarlet and Mustard – are mysteriously summoned by Boddy to his mansion.
Greeted by the butler, Wadsworth, the cook and the maid, the six strangers learn that Boddy is blackmailing them. Threatening to expose his guests, Boddy gives each a weapon – a candlestick, knife, lead pipe, revolver, rope and wrench – and suggests that someone kill Wadsworth. The lights go dark, a gunshot rings out, and when the lights go on, Mr. Boddy is apparently dead on the floor. The energetic slapstick comedy takes off from there.
“It’s visually very funny. It’s very well
written and the comedy is clean and crisp, so the audiences are going to enjoy
that,” said director Don Mays. “Most people are familiar with ‘Clue.’ So,
things that they’re familiar with are brought to life in a way that is bigger
than life. Big, broad comedies like this are always fun to do and always fun to
watch.”
“‘Clue’ is a laugh-out-loud murder mystery that
will have the audience on the edge of its seat,” said Liam Roberts, of Warwick, who plays Wadsworth. “The cast and crew
have been working incredibly hard to make this truly larger than life show a
reality.”
Mays, a member of the Wilbury Theatre Group who
is directing his first play at URI, is well-versed in comedy, having directed
and written comedic plays and done stand-up. He saw the design for the set
before starting rehearsals and that helped frame his direction, he said. The
set, designed by Assistant Professor James Horban, re-creates a mansion in the
1950s with six rooms that are moved on stage as part of the choreography of the
actors.
“Working with a production team has been
amazing,” said Mays. “And the students have been phenomenal. They bring their
energy and their creativity into the theater. It’s very exciting to have that
much support in a production, especially in a production of this size.”
In rehearsals, Mays encouraged actors to
experiment as they discovered their characters, including working on different
interpretations of their characters and creating the teamwork needed in an
ensemble production.
“Don has said from the start that our rehearsal
process is a laboratory for us to try things and see what works,” said Riley
Nedder, a junior majoring in theatre and English. “We spent several rehearsals
playing around with physicality and voices to try and figure out our
characters. He even had me do an entire rehearsal doing Muppet impressions to
get comfortable with playing around.”
Nedder plays Mrs. White, a socialite who may
have killed her husband and who is snarky, intimidating, and unhinged. “She’s
been such a fun role to play,” said the Attleboro, Massachusetts,
resident. “She’s definitely outside the realm of what I usually do. I consider
myself to be more of a dramatic actor so getting to work on a physical and
ensemble comedy has been the best kind of challenge.”
Roberts, a sophomore secondary education and
Italian major, wanted to be in “Clue” after seeing a production of it over the
summer. “What makes ‘Clue’ so cool is its embrace of witty, quick, and sharp
humor that was evident in the film that the play is based on,” he said.
His character, Wadsworth, is the quintessential
British butler, a role he fell in love with after seeing the amount of energy
it takes to play the role. “I like to think I can bring that level of energy
and command to the stage,” he said, “not to mention he is required to have a
British accent. Accents are one of my favorite parts about character work.”
Along with the set, all the design elements play
their parts in telling the story, Mays said. With six weapons alone, the play
has a lot of props, which need to be readable to the audience and look
realistic in the actors’ hands. And the costumes – for 13 actors playing a
total of 15 characters – need to fit the period, mesh with the character’s
colorful name, and be pliable enough for the actors to move comfortably in a
very physical play.
Costume designer Matthew Oxley, who graduates in
December with a degree in theater, put aside finishing a major in math this
semester to add new sewing techniques in a Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and
Design course.
“I’m having a blast designing ‘Clue’ and
learning the tricks of the trade,” said Oxley, of South Kingstown. “It took me a long time to take the
leap. I now know that costume design is my first love and will always inspire
me, even though I’m also an acting concentrate and a math minor.”
Oxley has designed costumes for the Burbage
Theatre Company in Pawtucket and for a student play and was assistant designer
on URI’s production of “Noises Off,” another screwball comedy. For “Clue,” he’s
working with the Theatre Department’s costume shop to design many original
pieces, including most of the dresses, along with pulling pieces from the
shop’s stock to design the show’s look.
“I knew I wanted to design a show my final
semester and go out with a bang,” said Oxley, a fan of the board game as a
child who still treasures his family’s copy of the game. “High-octane comedies
really give a designer free reign to go all out wild and not hold back. The
characters are so over the top in this show and there’s nothing more fun than
crazy costumes for crazy characters in a crazy world.”
“Clue: On Stage” runs Dec. 2-4 and Dec. 9-11 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 5 and 12
at 2 p.m. in Robert E. Will Theatre at the Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper College
Road, Kingston Campus. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for senior
citizens and URI students, faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased at the
URI Theatre box office in the Fine Arts Center or by calling (401) 874-5843.
For more information on tickets and the theatre’s COVID-19 policy, go to the
ticket website.
“Clue: On Stage” cast
Character, Actor, Hometown
Mr. Green, Colin Cleary, Harvard, Massachusetts.
Miss Scarlet, Syd Davey, Sturbridge, Massachusetts.
Mrs. Peacock, Paige D’Iorio, Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Professor Plum, Owen Gilmartin, Wakefield, Rhode Island
Mrs. White, Riley Nedder, Attleboro, Massachusetts.
Col. Mustard, Henry O’Brien, Wakefield, Rhode Island
The Cook, Emma Freel, Barrington, Rhode Island
Ensemble Man 1, Omar Laguerre-Lewis, Mamaroneck, New York
Yvette, Jenna Muldoon, Staten Island, New York
Wadsworth, Liam Roberts, Warwick, Rhode Island
Singing Telegram Girl/Aux Scarlet, Courtney Satterley, Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Ensemble Man 2, David Weber, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Backup Cop, Darby Wilson, Newton, Massachusetts