By Jennifer Mustoe and Craig Mustoe
Lehi Arts Council is offering Clue–The Musical for Halloween this year, and this show is filled with a lot of laughs. If you like the game of “Clue”, you will especially like this production. Even if you don’t like the game, that’s okay–there’s plenty going on. But much of the show carefully follows the game, gives hints about whodoneit throughout the production, and tries to represent all the rooms, murder weapons, and certainly the star possible murderers. It is a pretty good fit, if it is actually possible to get a board game onstage.
Mr. Boddy (the intended victim), played by Mike Handy, is the evening’s host who introduces the prospective murderers and asks members of the audience to choose the cards that will end up being the who, the how, and the where. Handy is very comfortable in front of the audience and gets them excited to participate. In the program, there is a sheet to mark the information we glean from the clues so we can have a crack at figuring out who did it, where, and how. This is completely how the game is played, so this is a fun bit.
Each character is introduced and the cast is wonderful. Allison Brooks as Miss Scarlet is great–a beautiful voice, some fun come-hither mannerisms, snotty and snooty, and, as each character does, has a motive to kill Mr. Boddy. He dumped her in Vegas. Lots of funny jokes about the less than amazing acts she did in Vegas, like something about dogs, that are pretty humorous. Brooks can really sing and she sparkles in this role. 
Lacey Jackson as Mrs. Peacock is a delight. From her amazing vocals to her amazing blue dress and peacock feathers in her hair, she is fabulous. I loved her solo about all her husbands (she is currently married to Mr. Boddy)–her movement and voice are spectacular. Jackson takes the stage in a way that no-one else in the cast does. Lithe and slim, she seems to take up the whole stage when she’s on it, and I was constantly drawn to her. Her motive is clear–she is a killer of husbands…
Rounding out the females is Michael Carrasco as Mrs. White. To be clear, Carrasco is a male. I asked Director Kurt Elison why he cast a male for Mrs. White and he said it was scripted that way. I’m not complaining, Carrasco is completely hilarious in this role. From his tiny quick steps in his remarkably high heels (ouch!) to his Betty Boop stances, he steals the show–hands down. He also has very nice legs. Who knew? He talks in falsetto for most of the show, so when he uses his burly male voice from time to time, it’s a scream. Boddy overworks this hard-working maid–this is Mrs. White’s beef (pun).
Colonel Mustard (Jay Breckenridge) is a fun character, and his blustering air is silly and entertaining. His motive is a little unnecessarily complicated, but he does have a reason to murder. Sean Trinnaman as Mr. Green is very good–he has some of the best lines, using mixed metaphors throughout. “It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a bread box.” Bad business deals is his motive. Daniel Mesta as Professor Plum is fantastic. From the tips of his purple shoes to the top of his lavender bowtie, Mesta is very in character. His timing is great, excellent voice, great chemistry with the Detective (Emmalee Nielson)–a joy to watch. Nielson, for her part, is great, too. Lots of fun lines, though the nursery rhyme lines seemed odd in this script. However, she has great timing, a lovely voice, and stays in character throughout the show.
Clue–The Musical is accompanied by Music Director Katie Allen on the piano. Allen takes her singers and gets them harmonizing well. It’s interesting to have live music for a show, so this was a treat. Choreographer Jeanna Bronson creates some fun dances throughout the show. Costumes by Mariah Knittle are fantastic–each character looked perfect. I’d have liked to see a real hair stage beard on Col. Mustard, but everyone’s costumes are just perfect–just as I’d imagined them when playing the game. The set (Set Design by Kurt Ellison) is sliding backgrounds to show each room (Lounge, Kitchen, etc) and is very effective in this small space. The pieces are easily moved by in-costume techies–something we all loved–and are lovely and efficient.
Two directors are in charge of Lehi’s Clue–The Musical, Ellison and Paige Albrecht, and they do a fine job of creating a production that will entertain their varied audience. The show is funny, but does have some sexy elements that parents may want to keep littles at home. As it stands, Lehi is asking to only have kids 8 and above come. The kids in the audience on the night I went were very into trying to figure out who the real murderer is, and laughed and had fun. But there are a few sexy comments from Mrs. White and Col. Mustard that may spark questions from the more curious children in the audience. My only real concern with the show, however, is that it doesn’t have a intermission. That said, I applaud Lehi for bringing this show, which isn’t often produced, to Utah. And for the record, our family had a rousing game of “Clue” Sunday night, so there you go.
Clue–The Musical is a fun romp that children, tweens, teens, and adults will enjoy. It is colorful, mysterious, and funny. Check it out in Lehi.
Lehi Arts Council presents Clue–the Musical, by Peter DePietro, music by Galen Blum, Wayne Barker and Vinnie Martucci, and lyrics by Tom Chiodo
Lehi Arts Center, 685 N Center St, Lehi, UT 84043
October 20-30, Mondays, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 7:30 PM
Tickets: $10.00, $12.00
Contact: 801-369-8806, info@lehiarts.com
Lehi Arts Council Facebook Page
Clue–The Musical Facebook Event
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