This fall, the theater department, led by Dr. Julian Lazarus will be putting on the play Clue. Originally a board game, it was adapted into a movie in 1985 that received mixed reviews and failed at the box office. Eventually becoming an off-Broadway musical, Clue’s hold on pop culture has remained steady since its original creation as a board game.

The overall concept of Clue has remained fairly consistent throughout all the different adaptations. Six strangers are invited to a dinner at Boddy Mansion, but their host is mysteriously killed and they are left to find the killer.

The movie originally made $14,643,997 internationally at the box office. However, the movie had an estimated budget of $15,000,000, making it largely a failure at the time of release. After its box office failure, it has become more popular and gained a small cult following.
In the board game, up to six people can play, impersonating each of the six main characters. There are three categories of cards: weapons, rooms and people. At the beginning of the game, one card from each category is placed in a mystery envelope that reveals the true place, killer and weapon that was used. Each player is dealt the rest of the cards in random order and has to narrow down each of the three categories to find the circumstances of the murder. “Clue is a really fun game and I really like to play it with family and friends,” sophomore Anna Jeyachandran said.

The main characters are the same as in the board game: Scarlet, Plum, White, Green, Peacock and Mustard. In the play, Wadsworth, the butler at Boddy Mansion, offers a variety of weapons and the host of their party is found dead. As the characters try to discover who the killer is, the play is infused with comedy and mystery.

Auditions started in September, and rehearsals continue till Nov. 17, the opening night. The cast includes seniors Drew Sill as Wadsworth, Connor Lindauer as Miss Scarlet, Ethan Bull as Professor Plum, Colin Hall as Colonel Mustard, Sylia Pothitou as Mrs. White, junior Jessica Lee as Mrs. Peacock and junior Avan Rengel as Mr. Green. “The audition process was a tad intimidating, but ultimately it was incredibly fun and a worthwhile adventure . . . if I hadn’t gone through it I would never have had the chance of being in the play,” Sill said.

The play isn’t just strictly business: there is a sense of friendship between the entire cast and crew participating. The best part about Clue is “all the wonderful, lovely, people participating. Our cast and crew are the best this school has to offer,” Sill said.

Clue will run from Nov. 17-20 with evening and afternoon shows to accommodate everyone. “I’m so excited to see Clue and watch a favorite childhood game come to life,” sophomore Madeline Eig said.

In case you still aren’t convinced on whether to go, you should “simply [expect] belly laughs. The show is hilarious and I’d reckon that every person in the audience will leave with a smile on their face,” Sill said.