Marked for death
By Casey Gillis on Mar. 24, 2010
(434) 385-5525
It was Professor Plum, in the conservatory, with the candlestick.
No, wait.
Maybe it was Miss Scarlet in the lounge with the revolver.
The possibilities are practically endless in Jefferson Forest High School’s production of “Clue: The Musical,” set to debut at 7 p.m. Thursday (see box for more information).
If you’ve ever played the board game, the play is essentially the same.
A murder occurs, and it’s up to players — or, in this case, audience members and a detective character — to figure out whodunit, in which room, with which weapon.
There are 216 possible outcomes.
“You could come to see (it) all four times, and see a different show each time,” says director Dana Tickle.
Each night, they’ll randomly pick three audience members to participate. Once the show begins, those people will blindly choose the culprit, weapon and room from a deck of cards, making it a truly fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants experience for the actors.
“Every (actor) has to memorize what the ending would be if he or she is the killer,” Tickle says.
Their motives are always the same, though. Mrs. White, for instance, is Mr. Body’s unhappy maid; Mrs. Peacock his wife; Miss Scarlet his mistress; and so on.
The only parts that change are the weapon and location.
To hear Mr. Body’s portrayer, junior Aaron Swain, tell it, it’s no surprise that he’s marked for death.
“He has no real sense of right or wrong,” Swain says. “He’s very manipulative and dark. He loves the fact that he’s going to be killed, so he’s pushing their buttons as much as he can.”
The play opens with Body welcoming the audience to his home. The first act offers up clues while he’s still alive, and the second after his death. He sticks around through it all, though.
“I break the fourth wall and talk to the audience, helping them figure out who did it,” Swain says. “I’m dead to the characters, but not the audience.”
Tickle says they’ve tried to go through as many scenarios as possible during rehearsals.
“Every night, we pull out all three decks. I have the tech kids sit in the audience in different places, and we pull them,” she says. “I never look, so I sit here and try to figure out who did it. They’re good at never, ever betraying (the ending) to me.”
Audience members can play along for an extra dollar; they’ll get a game board and, at the end of the show, those who guessed correctly will be eligible for a prize.
“It’s very light-hearted,” Tickle says. “Just like the movie (version), it’s very campy. It’s all about having fun.”
IF YOU’RE GOING
WHAT: Clue the Musical
WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Jefferson Forest High School, 1 Cavalier Circle
TICKETS: $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors
INFO: (434) 525-0106
COMMENTS