August Frank/Inland 360
From left: Carrie DeBerard, playing Miss Scarlet, Nathanael Tucker, play Professor Plum, Gabi Segren, playing Mrs. White, Jennifer Opdahl, playing Mrs. Peacock, and Jacob Trickey, playing Mr. Green, place cups to their ears to listen in on a conversation during a rehearsal for the Civic Theatre production of Clue Wednesday, Sept. 27, in Lewiston.
Familiar faces will deliver a fresh product as the Lewiston Civic Theatre performs “Clue,” a new mystery/comedy play written by Sandy Rustin and based on the 1985 film and classic Hasbro board game of the same name.
Shows begin Friday and run three weekends at the old Lewiston High School auditorium on Normal Hill.
The opening scene frames the story with a news report setting its events amid the era of 1950s McCarthyism, with its fears of undercover communist agents. This backdrop quickly helps generate an atmosphere of suspicion as six suspects-to-be based on the board game’s player characters (Professor Plum, Col. Mustard, Mrs. White, Ms. Scarlet, Mr. Green and Mrs. Peacock) arrive at a remote mansion and find themselves plunged into an elaborate tale of blackmail and murder.
Events grow increasingly absurd and madcap as the plot thickens over the show’s roughly-two-hour runtime.
While largely following the plotline of the Tim Curry film, this stage version is updated to include a smattering of coy allusions to events of the past few years amid its steady stream of fourth-wall-straining jokes and cultural references.
August Frank/Inland 360
Jennifer Opdahl, playing Mrs. Peacock, lets out a scream as she thinks she’s been poisoned as Jacob Trickey, playing Mr. Green, tries to calm her during a rehearsal for the Civic Theatre production of Clue Wednesday, Sept. 27, in Lewiston.
Amanda Marzo is taking her fourth turn as director for a mainstage play with this production, which bears obvious similarities to one of her past projects, “Murder on the Orient Express,” another straight-play mystery the company staged early last year. Compared with “Orient Express,” Marzo said this show is generally lighter in tone and more “family-friendly,” despite its macabre subject matter.
“It’s more vaudeville, slapstick,” she said.
The show’s elaborate set includes four two-sided rolling platforms that combine to help stage all of the rooms featured as possible murder locations in the game.
“I really leaned in, as far as (matching) the design to the board game,” Marzo said. “If you hold up the board game, (the set is) like a pop-up board game.”
August Frank/Inland 360
Leilani Farrell, playing the cook, lays dead with a knife in the back during a rehearsal for the Civic Theatre production of Clue Wednesday, Sept. 27, in Lewiston.
Sam Weeks is in his seventh show providing keyboard accompaniment at the theater, this one being his first nonmusical. The piano score, which is thick with the minor chords and dramatic tremolos for which classic mystery and horror films are known, is the only instrumental element of the program.
All of the principal cast members are longtime Lewiston Civic Theatre veterans with the exception of Mariana Egurrola-Meshishnek (Yvette the maid), who is making her second appearance with the company after debuting in “Grease” earlier this year.
Gabi Segren (Mrs. White) served as a production assistant, working on aspects such as costuming and sound design, in addition to her onstage role.
“I was excited it was very close to the movie,” Segren said of the production. “It’s definitely a show that has a lot of twists and turns, but it’s really funny, so I think people will enjoy it.”
August Frank/Inland 360
Travis Osburn, playing Wadsworth, turns to face the audience as the guests raise their weapons during a rehearsal for the Civic Theatre production of Clue Wednesday, Sept. 27, in Lewiston.
Jennifer Opdahl (Mrs. Peacock) was drawn to the play in part by the connection to the board game, which she grew up playing with her grandmother.
“I’m actually wearing her glasses (in the show),” said Opdahl, who theatergoers will recognize from roles such as Madame Thenardier in “Les Miserables” and Horton in “Seussical the Musical.”
August Frank/Inland 360
Nathanael Tucker, playing Professor Plum, shrugs his shoulders while looking at the dead body of Mr. Boddy, played by Matthew DeBerard, during a rehearsal for the Civic Theatre production of Clue Wednesday, Sept. 27, in Lewiston.
Gary Wilson (Col. Mustard), who first acted with Lewiston Civic Theatre in 1982, brings a distinct note of authenticity to his role.
“I actually love the role of Col. Mustard, because I’m retired military, so I get the military stance,” said Wilson, who served in the U.S. Army. “But to everything else, he’s just a bit clueless, but in a kind of innocent way that he doesn’t know.
“People need to come and see this show,” he continued, “because it’s such an amazing amount of talent involved with this production that if they miss out, they’re going to hear about it later, and they’re going to be sorry they didn’t come.”
August Frank/Inland 360
Jacob Trickey, playing Mr. Green, watches a chandelier come crashing down on him during a rehearsal for the Civic Theatre production of Clue Wednesday, Sept. 27, in Lewiston.
Wendt, a self-styled jack-of-all-trades who is active as an area sportswriter, high school tennis coach, actor and musician, may be reached at cwendt@lmtribune.com.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: “Clue”
WHEN: Oct. 6-22, 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays.
WHERE: Normal Hill Campus, former Lewiston High School auditorium, 1114 Ninth Ave., Lewiston.
TICKETS: $20 for adults, $12 for children, $15 for students, $17 for seniors/veterans; available at lctheatre.org, the box office at (208) 746-3401 or at the door.