A fun night of dance, song and superb acting… it’s a “must see”
By Donna McMillan – Port Dover Maple Leaf
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
It was hilarious! It was boisterous! It was suspenseful! Above all, it was thrilling to see the launch once again of the Lighthouse Festival Theatre’s community play after a three- year Covid absence. A stellar cast of local actors energized the theatre as they sang, danced, connived and bantered their way through “CLUE The Musical”, bringing CLUE, the sleuthing Parker Brothers board game, to life.
Directed by Derek Ritschel, LFT Artistic Director, CLUE The Musical, is a Classic “Who Done It” Mystery with a possible 216 answers of who did what with what and where to keep the audience guessing. The cast of eight, with six suspects who skulk from room to room to complicate the crime scene diorama, are iconic CLUE characters and include: Mr. Boddy – JP Antonacci; Mrs. Peacock – Julie MacLeod; Professor Plum – Charly Buck; Miss Scarlett – Carmen Davis; Colonel Mustard – Brian Reichheld; Mrs. White – Robyn Cunningham Edl ; Mr. Green – Adam Liefl; and The Detective – Jason Mayo. Literally, each actor “killed” their part.
Mr. Boddy is the host of the event and planner of mayhem. “It’s his house. It’s his game. He is going to be killed and he delights in being murdered,” JP told the Maple Leaf in an earlier interview. Mr. Boddy, with sinister intonations, narrates, confuses and provides riddled clues to help the collective audience solve his heinous murder. Each suspect finds him to be an odious character for varied reasons. They all have axes to grind. JP was superb in this role.
Each of the suspects represent colours in the board game. Mrs. Peacock, elegant in blue, has lost four husbands under mysterious circumstances and now husband number five, Mr. Boddy, is dead. Miss Scarlett, flashy in red, dates wealthy bachelors. Was Mr. Boddy on that list? Both Julie MacLeod and Carmen Davis were flamboyantly wicked in their respective roles. Smooth talking Mr. Green and Colonel Mustard, smitten by Mrs. Peacock, were well performed by Adam Liefl and Brian Reichheld. Over worked and underpaid, Mrs. White, played by Robyn Cunningham Edl, was hysterical as she aired her complaints with a heavy cockney accent. Professor Plum certainly offered a “degree” of suspicion; so ably played by Charly Buck.
“So, I’m dead” at the start of Act 2 confirms the demise of Mr. Boddy and brings the hilarious “hard nosed detective”, Jason Mayo in drag, onto the stage. He was added comic relief that had the audience roaring. “Rub a dub dub; six suspects in a tub” was his puzzle to solve. The detective scurried from room to room with the big question on stage: wrench, candlestick, pipe, knife, revolver, rope……and by whom.
The play gave the audience a fun night of dance, song and superb acting. It’s a Must See!
Heather Reicheld is Stage Manager for CLUE The Musical. Meredith Woods is Musical Director. Hailey Parker is Technical Director. Kiri – Lyn Muir is Choreographer. Sally Bellamy and Jan Rainey are responsible for Costumes and Props. Colin Mahon built the stunning set.
CLUE runs until April 21 and is a Must See. For tickets, visit the Box Office in Port Dover, online at lighthousetheatre.com or call 519 – 583 – 2221.