A classic Hasbro board game comes to life this weekend as the Williamstown High School drama club is set to perform “Clue” on Oct. 30, Nov. 1 and Nov. 2.
“Clue,” which is based on the board game as well as the 1985 movie starring Tim Curry and Christopher Lloyd, is a combination of murder-mystery, thriller and comedy. The characters from the board game, Mrs. White, Miss Scarlett, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum, Mr. Green and Colonel Mustard, are invited to Mr. Boddy’s mansion where a slew of murders occur leaving the six characters plus Wadsworth the butler trying to figure out “who done it.”
“I like that this play is such a thriller,” Ally Dua, who portrays Miss Scarlett, said. “It’s really exciting to be part of something that keeps the audience guessing and always on their feet. It’s good to let the audience form their own opinion of who might be the killer. It’s really suspenseful.”
“It’s a really funny, slapstick humor, murder mystery everyone can enjoy a lot,” Evan Schmidlin, who plays Wadsworth the butler, added. “It’s right before and right after Halloween. It’s a great family thing if you’re young, old, you like the board game, you like the movie, you like the theater – there’s so many different reasons to go. ‘Clue’ the play combines so many different aspects of different genres and it mixes perfectly.”
There’s a lot to like about the upcoming fall play in the eyes of the Williamstown High School drama department. For freshman Nasir Kates-Gould, who plays Colonel Mustard, he likes the small cast – there are only 13 actors in the entire production – because it gives him the opportunity to bond and talk to his cast mates. In the eyes of senior and drama club president Morgan McNaulty, she likes the variety of the play.
“This is something we’ve never done in my four years here,” McNaulty, who plays Mrs. White, said. “We did Shakespeare, we did a serious play, we did a contemporary play last year; it’s really nice to do a comedy this year. I feel like this is something the community is going to appreciate and laugh with as well.”
“Clue” will be a milestone for a few actors and actresses. For freshman Logan Aletich, a split time Mr. Boddy, and Kates-Gould, it marks their debut in the Williamstown High School drama club. For junior Ian Mudina, it will be his limelight debut as a split Mr. Boddy. In the case of senior Meghan Kelly, who splits time with Alexis Mosley as Mrs. Peacock, this lead role is the culmination of her fall play career.
“Clue” will debut on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at the high school. If folks show up in costume, or even cat ears, tickets are $5. For students and seniors not in costume, tickets are $10 at the door. For adults not in costume, tickets are $12 at the door. Pre-sale is available in the theatre lobby on Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to noon and Oct. 28 from 6 to 8 p.m., where students and senior tickets can be purchased for $7 and adult tickets can be purchased for $10. The play picks back up on Nov. 1 and 2 at 7 p.m. Adult tickets are $12 at the door; students and seniors are $10.
“It’s spooky season and they should celebrate with a murder mystery,” director Andrea Krapevka said. “The show is super funny. You should always support your local arts and the kids have worked really, really hard. They have so much talent to show.”
“You gotta see who done it,” Aletich added.
