Murder, mystery and mayhem at the Grand Theatre
Header: The cast of Clue. Photo by Dylan Hewlett.
It is a dark and stormy night in 1954. There is a rope. A revolver. A candlestick. A wrench. A pipe. And a killer. With dogs barking, thunder howling and blackmail on their tails, six strangers gather at the foreboding Boddy Manor.
Dinner is served. Bullets are fired. No one is safe … and everyone will die of laughter.
Deception and intrigue will take centre stage when the Grand Theatre (in co-production with Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre) presents Clue, the stage-adapted slapstick whodunit inspired by the classic board game of the same name and the 1985 cult film. The play will run on the Spriet Stage from March 12 to 30.
Fresh on the heels of seven seasons as the Grand Theatre’s artistic director, Dennis Garnhum returns to his hometown of London to direct Clue — which he mischievously refers to as a “buffoonery of show.”
Clue, similar to other stage farces Noises Off and The Play That Goes Wrong, is heavy on tomfoolery, and delightfully light on reason. For Garnhum, who not only directs the production but also programmed it for the Grand Theatre as one of his final acts as artistic director, that combination is exactly the ticket that Londoners (and theatregoers) need as they navigate a world characterized by ongoing uncertainty.
Boddy Manor, a revolving two-storey on-stage mansion, is the foreboding setting for Clue. Pictured: Jesse Gervais as Wadsworth in Clue. Photo by Dylan Hewlett.
“I went to my colleagues and asked for the funniest play on the planet right now. More than a few responded with Clue,” explained Garnhum.
After pouring over the script by Sandy Rustin — a script that has been produced more than 3,000 times around the world — Garnhum knew that Clue needed to be on the playbill, serving as a breezily uncomplicated reason to come to the theatre. “Take a night away from your troubles, come have fun at the theatre and enjoy being around each other,” said Garnhum.
Having already played a wildly successful run at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre in 2023, the “killer” cast and creative team will reunite in the Forest City, giving Londoners the experience of their favourite classic game … live, on stage. Featuring a large cast, and an even more massive set — including set designer Brian Perchaluk’s revolving two-storey on-stage mansion — Clue is primed to entertain, baffle and shake the house with laughter.
No stranger to farcical murder mysteries, or to inducing audience laughter on the Spriet Stage, actor Jesse Gervais returns to the Grand. Gervais previously performed in the role of Ambrose Small, the Grand Theatre’s original owner (and famously allegedly murdered person/ghost) in Grand Ghosts (2022). Now taking on the enigmatic and entertaining butler, Wadsworth — first introduced to the Clue universe on film by Tim Curry — Gervais cannot contain his delight about the show.
The company of Clue. Photo by Dylan Hewlett.
“It’s truly one of the funniest plays I’ve done, and there’s so much freedom for me to play, keep it spontaneous and keep the audience on their toes,” shared Gervais.
Like Garnhum, Gervais touts the production’s strength as being the fun that audiences will have along the way. “It brings so much joy in this time, and people can just come and watch it, and [it’s] like playing a game. They’re going to have a blast.”
In addition to Wadsworth, audiences will meet (or more likely, reconnect) with other iconic Clue suspects such as such as Ms. Scarlet, Mr. Green, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Professor Plum, Mrs. Peacock, and a slew of others — who may or may not make it out of Boddy Manor alive by the fall of the curtain.
Arriving fresh from a run of packed houses in Western Canada, Clue will be a surefire good time in downtown London and a popular way to emerge from winter solitude to enjoy the city’s core.
Clue plays March 12 to 30 on the Spriet Stage at the Grand Theatre. For more information and for tickets, visit www.grandtheatre.com/event/clue
