By Cindi Sansone-Braff
A Fun Whodunit at The Gateway
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Photo Credit Jeff BellanteSaturday night’s sold-out production of Clue at The Gateway had the audience bursting into spontaneous applause throughout the show and up on their feet for a rousing standing ovation at the end.
This farcical whodunit is based on the 1985 Paramount movie by Jonathan Lynn, which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue. Sandy Rustin wrote the play adaptation, with additional source material by Eric Price and Hunter Foster.
This hilarious farce-meets-murder-mystery takes place on a dark and stormy night at Boddy Manor. Kelly J. Tighe’s innovative three-part revolving set enhanced the dizzying plot. Watching the suspects race around the eerie mansion, running in and out of the Hall, Kitchen, Ballroom, Billiard Room, Library, Study, Lounge, Conservatory, and Dining Room, was awe-inspiring.
Set in 1954, in the time of McCarthyism and the Red Scare, the plot revolves around six anxious dinner guests whose invite came in the form of a threatening letter. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects. This show’s cartoonish, slapstick style calls for an ensemble with strong physical comedy skills, and the stellar cast brought their A-game to the production.
Led by Wadsworth, Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, and Colonel Mustard race to find the killer as the body count stacks up.
James Taylor Odom gave a tour-de-force performance as the proper British butler, Wadsworth. Toward the end of Act II, Mr. Odom’s longwinded but spot-on monologue concerning all the crazy shenanigans that had happened thus far had the audience roaring with laughter.
Sally Struthers, perhaps best known for her television role as Gloria in All in the Family, returned to Long Island to portray the neurotic, flaky, and hilariously funny Mrs. Peacock. Ms. Struthers, a two-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, previously appeared at The Gateway in 9 to 5, Anything Goes, and Nice Work if You Can Get It. Her Broadway credits include Wally’s Café and Neil Simon’s female version of The Odd Couple. Ms. Struthers aptly displayed her comedic genius as Mrs. Peacock, the holier-than-thou wife of a senator. Ms. Struthers’s facial expressions and body language had the audience in stitches every time she stepped onstage, and some of the funniest laughs of the evening came from hearing Mrs. Peacock’s spontaneous bouts of uncontrollable potty mouth.
Emily Brockway, dressed to kill in a red, sparkling evening gown with a thigh-high slit up the side, gave an award-worthy performance as Miss Scarlet, a high-class Washington, D.C. call girl. Jennifer Byrne gave a memorable performance as Mrs. White, a high-strung widow who may or may not have murdered a few of her husbands.
John Long gave a nuanced performance as Professor Plum, and Christopher Seiler was riotously funny as the pompous but not too bright Colonel Mustard. David Engel, a strong character actor, was most believable as the timid Mr. Green, and his remarkable character transformation at the end of the play truly surprised the audience.
Traci Bair as the sexy French maid, Amy Persons as the Cook, Lukas Poost as the Cop, Maggie May as the Telegram Girl, and Travis Murad Leland as Mr. Boddy/Motorist all gave noteworthy performances.
With killer performances by the entire cast and technical designs to die for, this wonderfully wicked, wacky, and witty show is a must-see. Under the brilliant direction of Larry Raben, this farcical play held the audience spellbound right up to the zany ending.
Tickets for Clue are on sale now and start at $59. The Gateway offers Youth and Teen pricing on some performances and Student Rush tickets which can only be purchased one hour before show-time, at the door, and with a valid Student ID. Group Sale Discounts are also available for groups of 15 people or more. For more information, contact the Box Office at (631) 286-1133, or visit the website at https://TheGateway.org.
Cindi Sansone-Braff is an award-winning playwright. She has a BFA in Theatre from UCONN and is a member of the Dramatists Guild. She is the author of Grant Me a Higher Love, Why Good People Can’t Leave Bad Relationships, and Confessions of a Reluctant Long Island Psychic. Her full-length Music Drama, Beethoven, The Man, The Myth, The Music, is being published this spring. www.Grantmeahigherlove.com.