A family favorite board game turned 1985 black comedy film was brought to life on stage as the BCHS 2024 Spring Play. Two talented casts, Candlestick and Wrench, performed in the Black Box Theater during the last weekend of April. They told this iconic murder mystery story with only eleven members in each cast. The storyline is well summarized by broadwaylicensing.com: “The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects. Led by Wadsworth, the butler, Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock and Colonel Mustard race to find the killer as the body count stacks up. Clue is the comedy whodunit that will leave both cult-fans and newcomers in stitches as they try to figure out…WHO did it, WHERE, and with WHAT!”
Behind the scenes, Lucy Heideman (’24) takes her final bow with Clue: “I have been a part of every BC theatre production from our COVID-era radio plays to Clue, and it’s crazy to think that this is my last high school play.”
Heideman portrays Wadsworth in the Wrench cast. She calls Wadsworth “a very different type of character for [her], since it was originally written for a man. Making the character [her] own has been a super fun challenge.”
Another challenging part of Clue has been that it is a small cast of eleven people. Heideman says, “Being in a show with only 10 other actors is a very different experience from being in the fall musical, where there are over 100 students involved. We need to rely on one another and have a lot of trust, especially in a fast-paced, physical comedy like Clue. Because we need that level of trust, small casts are super tight-knit.”
Aamna Mateen (’27) agrees that the small cast has allowed for real connections, as it “enables the performers to create bonds and get to know their fellow actors, and this helps to develop on-stage chemistry and relationships.” Mateen is a member of the Candlestick cast as Mrs. Peacock. She particularly enjoys the role because of her affinity for Clue: “I’ve always loved the board game and it’s amazing to see it come to life.”
As more and more characters are murdered, the dialogue becomes quicker and animated. Wadsworth has an important scene, and Heideman embraces the challenge: “towards the end of the show, I have a three-page monologue where I retell the entire story up until that point. It is filled with physical comedy and impressions of the other characters’ voices and personalities. Learning, perfecting, and memorizing it was a big job but so rewarding.”
The monologue translated perfectly onstage and had audiences laughing from the delivery of both Heideman and Andrew Kindler (’24) of the Candlestick cast. Heideman fondly describes her experience: “It’s such a clever and funny show, and I have had the opportunity to get to know my cast mates on a new level. There are a lot of younger actors and a few people who have never acted before in Clue, so it has been lots of fun to see them learn and grow as actors.”
The six sold-out shows were all a success. How was it that BC Theatre has pulled off yet another phenomenal performance? It’s no secret at all…hard work! Mystery solved.
