THEATRE REVIEW: Cluedo - The Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield.

‘Cluedo’ is a rare (if unique concept) in that it is a play inspired by a popular board game (or more accurately, based on a film, inspired by the said board game). Just as Monopoly has well known playing pieces, like the boot and the ship, so Cluedo has a set list of suspects and a set list of rooms with a specific group of murder weapons, all of which are incorporated faithfully into the stage play. The atmosphere of the country mansion on a stormy night was the final touch needed to set the scene, complete with effective lightning flashes and convincing sounds of thunder and rain.

The look of ‘Cluedo’ was a beautifully detailed recreation of 1940’s upper-class life, with pleasingly authentic costuming and a marvellously sophisticated set in which the six side doors of the hall each opened into one of the well-known rooms. Subtly concealed panelling enabled each room to be ‘pulled’ into main stage area, enabling the audience to explore the house with the cast. Each main character naturally wore certain colours denoting their name but the outfits looked natural ensuring the feel of the classic murder mystery from around the 1940’s period.

The premise of ‘Cluedo’ is borrowed directly from Agatha Christie, or to be precise, her two plays ‘The Mousetrap’ and ‘Ten Little Indians’. In each case, a number of unrelated people received the same invitation to a dinner to a location in which they find themselves trapped by a host who remains unseen. The mystery then remains as to who the host is and why he thinks each his guests should die. This by itself would have been quite acceptable but the script then went off on a tangent that was almost Woke in nature, decrying the British Empire and suggesting that post-colonial Britain had lost its place in the world. Fortunately, this did not become an enduring theme of the play as the characters soon became more concerned for their lives than atoning for the country’s past crimes. Curiously, some lines in the script were rather un-p.c. Remember the trouble Jeremy Clarkson got into for saying ‘eni mini mine mo’?

After a slow initial build-up, the play gathered pace, which was maintained at an increasingly frenetic rate. If one of the hallmarks of a farce is people continuously making exits and entrances, ‘Cluedo’ had it in abundance with remarkable timing demonstrated by all the cast as everyone was eventually going in and out of every room as the murder rate increased. The use of silent movie style music was a good addition as were frequent blackouts and once the stall had been fully laid out, the story just got more and more impossibly complicated as each character tried to make sense of the bizarre situation in which they found themselves. The inevitable climax was well worth the wait and superbly handled.

All actors appeared to be having great fun in what was a very enjoyable show. Naturally, everyone was over-the-top but special mention must be made of Jean-Luke Worrell for an extraordinary performance as Wadsworth the Butler. This was the part played by Tim Curry of Rocky Horror fame in the 1985 movie and was the most physical as well as verbally demanding role. All the cast were involved in physicality, whether running around or hauling dead bodies and ‘Cluedo’ has all the hallmarks of a frenzied-paced farce with preposterous characters, an absurd plot and plenty of funny word-play. A great piece of escapist entertainment for these troubled times.

Reviewer - John Waterhouse
on - 24.5.22