Written by orange• July 26, 2024• 2:38 am• Costa Mesa, Review, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Theater, Uncategorized

Clue @ Segerstrom Center for the Arts – Review

photo by Evan Zimmerman

Written by Patrick Chavis

The famous Parker Brothers game Clue was brought to life on stage for a short run at Segerstrom Center for the Arts from July 23 – 28, 2024.

This touring production of Clue is a fast-and-furious affair. Hold on to your life if you can, Cackle.

Story:

Will it be Mr. Green (John Shartzer) in the library with a revolver or maybe sexy Miss Scarlet (Michelle Elaine) with a rope in the Kitchen? The combinations are endless! Well, actually, no, the possibilities are finite. There’s a limited amount of weapons and people. Still, the possibilities add up to a good, funny time at the theater in this 90-minute, no-intermission production of Clue.

In Clue, six strangers are anonymously invited to Boddy Manor, a mansion in New England, under mysterious circumstances. As they try to deduce why they are there, it becomes evident this is a trap. There’s a killer in the house, but who? Can they find the murderer before it’s too late? This and more in Clue.

This show is light, comical fair, and has some hilarious jokes. If you’re a fan of the 1985 movie, it retains a lot of the fun from the film. But it’s not too much, more or less. This show moves so fast that it feels like they are trying to get you out of the door before you sit down. At the same time, I jest at the speed of production and the show’s intentions. The moment the show begins, there rarely seems to be a slowing down of the comedic action. In some ways, this is a great thing. The show knows what it is. It’s a funny, nostalgic piece with some solid laughs. That’s undeniable in my eyes, but it doesn’t go much further than that. The surprises in this take are few indeed, so it’s, in fact, a good piece for fans looking for a refresher.

Set/Costume Design:

Set Designer Lee Savage uses a rather large and open mansion design for multiple moving set transitions from the sides of the stage and even in the middle. This is a truly functional set for this fast-paced approach.

As seems to be the theme of this production, costume designer Jen Caprio is true to the source material, but with, of course, some slight changes in wardrobe.

Acting:

The comedic acting in this was done well, if not a little too, by the numbers and stiff at times. Even so, there were some excellent performances from this cast.

John Shartzer’s performance as Mr. Green has flexible and erratic energy on stage that would make Michael Mckean proud.

Fans of the board game and film will not want to miss this trip down memory lane.