A stormy night. An eerie manor. A suspenseful note hammered on the piano. A knock on the door.
“Clue,” a production by Torrey Pines Players (TP Players), opens with the panache of a classic murder mystery, whisking the audience into a fast-paced and clever comedy that brings its blueprint classic board game and film to life onstage.
Last Friday, TP Players presented their second performance of “Clue,” which will continue to run tomorrow through Saturday. As the first production of the year, and first production under new theatre teacher Sandra Geminiani, the show immediately dazzled with its technical skill. With high attention to detail, it featured an intricate, two-story set including multiple doors and moving elements along with evocative sound and lighting design.
The play follows six eccentric dinner guests under pseudonyms — Ms. Scarlet (Lainey Costabile (12)), Colonel Mustard (Ethan Erstling (11)), Mr. Green (Hailey McInnis (12)), Mrs. Peacock (Mateja Schmidt (11)), Mrs. White (Lily Pirnie (10)) and Professor Plum (Joseph Kempf (12)). Each hiding secrets, they are invited to Boddy Manor to meet the mysterious Robert Boddy (Grace Principi (9)), who has been blackmailing them. Greeted by the butler Wadsworth (Huijing Zhang (10)) and the maid Yvette (Claire Taylor (12)), the night soon descends into chaos when their host turns up dead and others soon follow. As bodies and twists pile up, they must solve the mystery before the police arrive.
One of the play’s most commendable features is the live piano accompaniment by Alex Zhang (10), which transitions artfully between jaunty melodies and tense, chromatic motifs. The music, combined with claps of thunder and other atmospheric sound effects from sound design, heightens the show’s mood as well as shifts between comedy and mystery.
The humor is a balance of witty and simple: loud soup slurping, characters mocking each other, exaggerated reactions. Each performer fully takes up their role, with distinct over-the-top personalities, costumes, and accents that feel purposeful. The characters are caricatures; they have the quality of pieces in a game. It does not feel realistic, but this is effective.
The whole cast added flair to their roles, with standout performances from Zhang and McInnis. Zhang’s portrayal of Wadsworth’s character is a balance of sinister and absurd, composed in one moment and agitated in the next. The delivery of the sequence in which Wadsworth retraces their steps was full of energy and captivating. McInnis’s portrayal of Mr. Green, who radiated awkwardness and nervousness, added humor and lightheartedness to the production. That performance made the ending twist all the more surprising.
The open set allowed for the audience to see multiple rooms at once — except when they were deliberately cast in darkness — which added a fun bit of dramatic irony that lowered the audience’s guard before the final twists. The constant motion of doors opening and closing, characters scrambling up and down staircases and accusations flying, added a controlled chaos and elevated rare instances of stillness. There was never a dull moment.
TP Players’ “Clue” is a confident and ambitious start to the season. From the set and visuals, to lively sound design to smooth pacing, each element reflects a long period of careful planning and creative execution.
With the next show, “Little Shop of Horrors” to come in February, the theatre program leaves audiences anticipating what comes next.
