Whodunnit? Fall play ‘Clue’ serves up killer mystery
The theater goes pitch-dark. A gunshot fires. Someone screams. When the lights flash back on, a body lays dead in the middle of the stage. The six terrified dinner party guests stand frozen, each holding a lethal weapon. Now, both the characters and audience must race against time to discover “whodunnit.”
Theater students performed “Clue,” a comedic murder mystery based on the board game and 1985 film, in the Patil Theater from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, directed by theater teacher Brandi Griffith.
Featuring a 19-person cast and a stage crew of 13, the production brought together actors and technicians who spent months building the set, managing props and perfecting every scene to bring the show to life.
Between rapid-fire dialogue and dynamic choreography, the play invited viewers into the world of a dinner party gone wrong. The story unfolded around six eccentric guests — Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, Mrs. Peacock, Mr. Green, Miss Scarlet, and Mrs. White — along with Wadsworth the butler, as they dashed through the manor’s many rooms to uncover clues as bodies fell.
Frosh audience member Resham Lamba shared that the play exceeded her expectations and completely immersed her into the plot. A thespian herself, she admired the actors’ dedication to their roles and the intricacy of the props involved.
“From an actor’s perspective, I could see the amount of work and effort that must have gone into making the set,” Resham said. “The choreography for running from room to room was all very cool and fluid. I was also on the edge of my seat throughout, and by the end I was shook to my core — I was jumping on top of my friends, freaking out.”
Their attention to detail and thorough preparation created a tight-knit community built on trust and collaboration. Junior Dhanya Ramanan, who played Wadsworth, reflected on the camaraderie that developed between the cast and crew during rehearsals.
“It was a very intimate cast, and the preparations were filled with inside jokes,” Dhanya said. “There was a sense of comfort in being around the same people for that long. Every single person in the play, from the people who were on stage to the crew and the understudies, made it something that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
From auditions in early September to daily rehearsals during tech week to the shows themselves, the actors, tech team and directors dedicated long hours to making the show come alive and transport the audience into Boddy Manor on a dark and stormy night.
“It takes so much energy and hours and strength to get to the end of the process,” Griffith said. “The best feeling is when the audience buzz is happening, and they’re reflecting on what they just watched. There is an energy in the air that is so hard to describe, because it’s just what theater magic does — it’s such a connector.”
Their attention to detail and thorough preparation created a tight-knit community built on trust and collaboration. Junior Dhanya Ramanan, who played Wadsworth, reflected on the camaraderie that developed between the cast and crew during rehearsals.
“It was a very intimate cast, and the preparations were filled with inside jokes,” Dhanya said. “There was a sense of comfort in being around the same people for that long. Every single person in the play, from the people who were on stage to the crew and the understudies, made it something that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
From auditions in early September to daily rehearsals during tech week to the shows themselves, the actors, tech team and directors dedicated long hours to making the show come alive and transport the audience into Boddy Manor on a dark and stormy night.
“It takes so much energy and hours and strength to get to the end of the process,” Griffith said. “The best feeling is when the audience buzz is happening, and they’re reflecting on what they just watched. There is an energy in the air that is so hard to describe, because it’s just what theater magic does — it’s such a connector.”