The Game is Afoot

Clue – Mercury Theatre

With the Autumn opening of this tantalizing, twisted comedic murder mystery, based upon the 1985 film, which was in turn based upon the popular Hasbro/Parker Brothers’ board game, Mercury Theater Chicago has a mega hit whodunit on its hands. I mean, this is a drop-dead, bonafide beauty of a black comedy. It’s guaranteed to produce thrills, chills, goosebumps and uncontrollable laughter for the entire 90 minutes of its uninterrupted mayhem.

One dark and stormy night, at the elegantly gloomy Tudor Mansion, six guests arrive at the door. They’ve been invited to a mysterious dinner party and are greeted by Wadsworth, the charming British butler. He gives each visitor a pseudonym to protect their anonymity. They’re colorfully renamed Mrs. Peacock, Mrs. White, Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mr. Green and Colonel Mustard. The guests claim not to know each other, nor their unseen host, one Mister Boddy. But, while he’s not currently present to greet his company, Yvette, the French maid, and the intimidating Cook join Wadsworth in welcoming their guests. They’re escorted to the dining room, where dinner is served, along with a huge helping of havoc and humor. And suddenly, just like that, the game is afoot!

Although he’s guided so many wonderful productions in his long directorial history, this may be one of the finest, funniest shows that L. Walter Stearns has ever brought to the Mercury Theater stage. Talk about fast-paced—before the play begins  the audience should store up some reserve oxygen, because in a few seconds they’re going to be left breathless with laughter. Stearns has briskly directed this farcical mystery with the undeniable skill brought about by years of experience. The convoluted plot races by with breakneck speed, which can be partly credited to the adapted screenplay by Jonathan Lynn, the stage version written by Sandy Rustin and additional material contributed by Hunter Foster and Eric Price. Walter Stearns has also drawn out some topnotch performances from Chicago’s finest comedic actors, all of whom are at the top of their game.

It should be noted that secrets abound in this play, and not just hidden within the dark passageways of the mansion. Everyone in the story has a skeleton in his closet and is hiding a crypt-full of inside information. Keep in mind that every character is a mind-twisting, cryptic conundrum of secrets. Each mysteriously eccentric personage is delightfully played to the hilt. Nancy Wagner makes an humorous, uptight Mrs. Peacock, modestly turning down any alcoholic drink but secretly taking a hit from her concealed flask. As Mrs. White, lovely McKinley Carter creates the sinister and threatening demeanor of a black widow spider. Erica Stephan is stunning and sphinxlike as sexy Miss Scarlet. Kelvin Roston, Jr. is very funny, but mysteriously furtive, as Mr. Green. As the lone doctor in the house, Andrew Jessop is full of indecipherable inconsistencies as psychiatrist, Professor Plum. And Jonah D. Winston, a gifted actor who has demonstrated his considerable comedy chops in so many productions, such as the Broadway Playhouse’s recent “The Play That Goes Wrong,” does it again as the hilarious Colonel Mustard.

The cast also features an ensemble of additional talented actors who lend their support. They include lovely Tiffany T. Taylor as Yvette, a kewpie doll of a French maid, who’s very funny but sometimes difficult to understand through her thick accent. One of Chicago’s favorite character actors, the matchless Ms Honey West is absolutely hilarious, portraying both the easily irritated Cook and a joyous Singing Telegram Girl. In addition, suave and handsome Patrick Byrnes plays Mr. Boddy, a Motorist whose car has died near the mansion and, later in the play, the Chief of Police. And making his Mercury Theater debut, dashing Andrew MacNaughton, who’s left his mark in musicals all over Chicago, is the clueless Cop.

But, despite the tireless talent of each of these wonderfully gifted actors, this production truly belongs to Mark David Kaplan. He plays Wadsworth, the British Butler, who opens the play and keeps it speeding along with style, gravitas and a gift for the outrageous. Mr. Kaplan has proven to be one of Chicago’s Comedy Kings and Musical Masters, having appeared all over the city in shows like “Hairspray,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Kinky Boots” and “Les Miserables.” Recently Mark was a standout in Northlight Theatre’s “Mr. Dickens’ Hat.” Under Walter Stearns’ sharp direction, Mr. Kaplan absolutely owns this show. Filled with unstoppable energy, Mark plays the surrogate host of the party and the ringmaster of this comedy circus. Mark David Kaplan proves, once again, that he is a brilliant comic genius. 

But lest you think the entire success of this extraordinary production is due simply to a wonderful cast and a terrific director, think again. Another character is lurking in the shadows and eerie lighting, created by G. “Max” Maxin IV. It’s the positively provocative, elegant and ever changing scenic design by Bob Knuth. How the intimate Mercury Theater stage continually transforms to become so many different rooms, and right before our very eyes, is sheer genius. Both Knuth and Maxin have worked together seamlessly to make this theatrical magic happen. The myriad of properties supplied by Jonathan Berg-Einhorn, particularly the six, life-size murder weapons from the board game, are perfection. And Michael Holland’s mysterious original music also helps contribute to the dark mood of this play, along with Kurt Snieckus’ frightening sound design.

 Marquecia Jordan’s chic and well-tailored costumes, however, are the icing on the cake. From Mrs. Peacock’s iridescent blue feathers, to Yvette’s delightfully tarty French Maid’s uniform; from the touches of color that help remind the audience of each character’s name, to Wadsworth’s perfectly pressed professional butler livery, Ms Jordan, together with Keith Ryan’s delightful wig design, adds one more layer to each comic character.

This is another rousing success for Mercury Theater Chicago. It comes at the perfect time, with Halloween just around the corner. “Clue” is a fast-paced confection, disguised as a murder mystery. And thanks to a great script, a talented director and a gifted company of actors, supported by a great technical team, the audience is treated to one bloody good time in the theatre. It’s a show aimed at every fan of the classic board game, the 1985 cult film and any devotee of a good, old-fashioned, mind-boggling mystery novel. This production is what would happen if Agatha Christie and Monty Python had an offspring, and Chicago audiences will soon be cooing and embracing this baby with glee.                

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented October 13-January 1 by Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 773-360-7365 or by going to www.info@mercurytheaterchicago.com.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.