We’ve all been there: a rainy evening, a missing silver candlestick, and a heated family argument over whether Professor Plum was actually in the Library.
Well, it’s time to dust off your magnifying glass and leave the board game box under the bed, because Cluedo has officially stepped off the cardboard and onto the stage at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre. Based on the 1985 cult classic film and that Hasbro game that’s been ruining friendships since 1949 (also looking at you Monopoly), this is far from a high-brow drama. It’s a 90-minute, interval-free sprint of farcical mayhem, blackmail, and questionable dinner etiquette.
Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or was it Professor Plum in the library with the wrench?
The production is a masterclass in “deadly fun,” leaning heavily into the slapstick, fast-paced comedy that made the movie a cult classic. The Australian cast is a absolute killer lineup of local talent who clearly haven’t been told that “less is more.” We’ve got Olivia Deeble (of Home and Away fame) bringing the sass as Miss Scarlett, and musical theatre royalty Rachael Beck as a wonderfully suspicious Mrs. White. Genevieve Lemon is a total scene-stealer as the eccentric Mrs. Peacock, while Grant Piro holds the whole chaotic house together as the butler, Wadsworth. There’s one particularly long monologue from Piro that had the whole audience burst out in applause. It’s also a star-studded suspects list that includes Adam Murphy as Colonel Mustard, David James as Professor Plum, and Laurence Boxhall as the perpetually nervous Mr. Green.
The beauty of this show is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s built for laughs, larceny, and the occasional gun-shot effect that’ll make you jump out of your seat. At only an hour and a half, it’s the perfect length for anyone with a modern attention span or a dinner reservation to get to.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the film or game, or you just want to see some of top Aussie actors run around a mansion like headless chickens, it’s a total riot.
Just a word of advice: keep an eye on your neighbors… in a room this full of eccentric characters, everyone is a suspect.
– The Plus Ones
