Eight gifted actors have audience members on the edge of their seats as they unravel a murder mystery night after night.
Dewdney Players Group Theatre’s portrayal of Clue the Musical presents a mind-boggling series of events, yet these actors and actresses have met the challenge head on with a combination of seriousness and hilarity you won’t want to miss.
Clue the Musical has all the same components of the Parker Brothers’ board game from drawing cards at the beginning of each show to characters moving around the stage as if they’re pieces on the board.
And, like the board game, there’s a different ending every time.
But no story is complete without its cast of characters. Clue the Musical is no exception.
Take Colette Conway as Mrs. White, for instance.
While White doesn’t have the elegance of Miss. Scarlet or the intrigue of Mrs. Peacock, Conway breathes a whole new life into this character.
As Mr. Boddy’s cook (Boddy is the unfortunate murder victim), Conway conjures up a spitfire persona in White that soon has the audience sympathizing for her despite her outspoken and saucy ways.
Conway flawlessly pulls the audience into her weary world of living in a basement “fit for prisoners” and eating food the dogs wouldn’t eat.
It’s surprising this is Conway’s first acting gig as it isn’t just her vocal talents she lets soar. It will be delightful to see what other roles Conway chooses in future productions with Dewdney.
She was born to be on stage.
Also shining in the spotlight is Kelly Misko as Mrs. Peacock – Boddy’s wife.
Misko exquisitely plays the rich, grandiose and greedy Peacock who has no shame in admitting she’s had five husbands who each experienced questionable deaths, resulting in her obtaining five fortunes.
Peacock soon springs into action as she and Colonel Mustard share several romantic moments on stage.
Misko portrays well her acting prowess with her heartfelt singing and expressive conduct.
Most memorable is her solo – a sad yet hilarious tale of her first five husbands and their unfortunate fates.
The chemistry between Peacock and Mustard - played by Jared McCollum – seemed effortless.
The two played off one another well, taking it to a level where one questions if maybe it’s time to leave the room. Especially memorable is when the two play a game of Twister on a map of Europe.
While McCollum is somewhat new to Dewdney, he has no trouble commanding the stage as a colonel.
His booming voice and larger-than-life presence fits this role perfectly. Donning yellow fatigues and a pipe, McCollum has the air of a military man.
A quieter and more demure presence is the beautiful Miss Scarlet, played by Safia Comtois-Mohammed - a regular on the Dewdney stage.
This young actress and singer fits the role of innocent elegance perfectly – although with her abundant talent it would have been nice to see her take on a bigger personality.
Scarlet and Mr. Green conspire against Boddy. Their motive for murder: Scarlet was duped by Boddy and Green wants to dupe Boddy.
Matt Seders offers a unique take on Green - a less notable character in the board game.
As Boddy’s business partner, Green deposits a business cheque into his own account and Boddy, quick to learn this fact, threatens Green with legal action.
Scoffing at his threats, Green is confident he can outsmart Boddy but the audience soon learns he’s not as smart as he thinks.
Seders plays this complicated role well, giving the air of being pompous while fudging every expression he throws out there.
Then there’s Professor Plum, played by Sue Moore, who brings the intelligence level up a notch in this room full of misfits.
Moore does well to play the professor as she takes on the challenge of a man’s role.
While seamlessly delivering this serious character, Plum surprises the audience in Act 2 when taking a romantic interest in the detective, played by Jane Phillips. His awkward attempts and the detective’s adamant deflections bring comedy back to the stage in spite of these two serious demeanors.
Amongst the varied personalities is the biggest of all – the host, narrator and victim, Boddy, played by Dave Elder.
Elder portrays beautifully a range of personalities in one. One minute he’s charming and the next he’s a snake, yet Elder brings a level of hilarity that can’t be beat.
He delivers the role with grace, humour and whimsy as he guides the audience impeccably through the play, stopping to give clues as to which weapons, rooms or people may or may not have been involved in the murder.
One can’t forget Elder’s comical escapades at the end of Act 1 when the six characters pursue Boddy with weapons in hand, weaving on and off the stage.
Boddy hides in the aprons and amongst the audience as the characters make chase for several minutes before Boddy suddenly gasps from within the audience and dies dramatically on the stage.
Overall, Dewdney delivers this dramatic play exquisitely, not just through the characters but the inviting and vibrant set, brilliant costumes and complicated music mastered at the hands of talented pianist Antonina Cox.
If you’ve never attempted to solve a murder, don’t miss out on the opportunity this weekend with performances of Clue the Musical at the RPAC Feb. 27 to 29 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee Feb. 29 at 2 p.m.
For more details and tickets go to dewdneyplayers.com
