In 1949, Parker Brothers released the board game Clue, in which players would use various hints to determine who had murdered the mysterious Mr. Green — in what room and with what weapon.
In 1985, director Jonathan Lynn brought the board game to life with his film of the same name. And this week, West Virginia Public Theatre brings the iconic game to the stage with the play based on the movie, “Clue: On Stage.”
The show opens today and runs through June 16. Tickets can be purchased online at wvucca.universitytickets.com or by calling 304-293-TKTS. General public tickets are $30, senior citizens are $20, children are $15 and groups (10 or more) are $15. The theater offers ADA accessibility and ASL performances.
Clue director Robyne Parrish originally contacted WVPT to inquire about an acting job with this summer’s plays. When artistic director Jerry McGonigle asked her to direct instead, it was a “yes. ”
“It’s funny,” she said. “Lee Blair, who’s playing Col. Mustard, directed me in ‘Young Frankenstein’ six or seven years ago, as an actor. So now the roles are reversed. I worked here back then, and we’ve been trying ever since to get me back here, either to direct or act.
So it just worked out.” Parrish said she has enjoyed working with the cast to make this version of “Clue” something unique. She’s drawn inspiration from some of the characters from the original board game, but was also interested in diversifying the cast in age and race, imbuing it with a fresh feel.
One person she knew she wanted to bring on board was New York actor Chris Daftsios, to play Wadsworth “We couldn’t do the play without Chris,” Parrish said. “He was kind of a no-brainer.
He was the first person I thought of, and then he auditioned and we were like, ‘that ’s the guy.’ Because he’s so just innately funny and curious and experimental and physical.”
Daftsios said he is excited to play Wadsworth, the character who orchestrates the entire farce. In the film, Tim Curry plays the character in a buttoned-up manner, but Daftsios wanted to add his own twist.
“I found him very sedated in the film, which was surprising,” Daftsios said. “Maybe it was the directing. But I thought this should be a lot zanier. ”
Daftsios spent time as a dancer and hopes to bring that kind of energy to the stage. With this ensemble, he wanted choreography that allowed everyone in the cast to feed off of one another. “I did 14 years of dance. So that’s what I said on the first day of rehearsal: This is a dance, and it’s really what we should treat it as,” he said. “You have these nine characters and in the beginning, some know each other and some don’t. It’s this big murder mystery, and they go through all of these tragic-comic situations, and they become closer. And so, just by that nature, they should become closer physically. When you ’re in a farce, you want it to be moving constantly.
So I am, and I’m exhausted.” For those who are familiar with the board game or the film, Daftsios hopes they’ll come see the show because he believes it will be a completely different —but still very fun —experience.
“I dare say that it’s kind of a better experience because it’s very visceral,” he said. “In the theater, the audience is very much a part of the production. People say that all the time, and they think we’re patronizing, but it’s not. They feed energy to us. Laughs aren’t planned in rehearsal or gasps or whatever, but it very much becomes a part of that experience for that evening. I think a lot of people will want to see, ‘What ’s this character going to be like? What’s their take on that character?’ You know, you can’t beat the theater.”
Find more information about this show and others and purchase tickets at wvpublictheatre. org/.
