“Clue” opens Sept. 18 at the Actors Guild

PARKERSBURG - "Clue" opens at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Parkersburg Actors Guild for a six-show run.

The whodunit mystery is based on the 1985 movie "Clue" and the Hasbro board game, among the most popular in history. The setting is a dinner party at Boddy Manor attended by six guests suspected of murder.

Shows are 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18, Sept. 19, Sept. 25 and Sept. 26, and 2:30 p.m. Sept. 20 and Sept. 27 at the guild playhouse on Market Street.

Tickets are half price on opening night, $10, and $20 for all other performances including the Sunday matinees. Tickets remain available for all shows, but the fewest on opening night.

Tickets are available at actors-guild.com. For more information, call the Actors Guild at 304 485-1300.

The production, sponsored by First Settlement Physical Therapy, is not trying to recreate the movie, Director Kit Parsons said.

"The movie has a huge following, and it is our duty to honor that," Parsons said. "But the entire cast has done a great job of honoring the original while also making this project unique and new."

The story begins when a collection of strangers, each using a colorful alias, receives a mysterious invitation to Boddy Manor. Before long, blackmail turns to murder, everyone is a suspect and the guests must determine who killed whom, where and with what before the killer strikes again.

Members of the cast are R.J. Lowe as Wadsworth, Mercedes Ware as Yvette and the telegram girl, Alexis Parsons as Miss Scarlet, Wendy Smith as Mrs. Peacock, Anna DeHart as Mrs. White, Jeff Wilson as Colonel Mustard, Chris Lewis as Professor Plum, Hector Velez as Mr. Green and Jack Peyton as Mr. Boddy.

Six years ago, Lowe was Wadsworth and Alexis Parsons, Kit's wife, was Miss Scarlet in September 2020 for an online version of "Clue" at the Actors Guild. Kit Parsons also played Professor Plum and Lowe directed the 2020 virtual show that was performed online because because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Playing the supremely self-assured Colonel Mustard has offered Wilson a chance to leave self-awareness at the stage door.

Mustard is "a decorated war profiteer who marches into every room like he's leading a battalion, completely unaware that he's actually the dumbest guy there. One hundred percent confidence, 0% competence," Wilson said.

"As Jeff, I'm constantly overthinking social interactions so I can appear functional and polite," Wilson said. "Stepping into Mustard's boots means trading all my self-awareness for pure, unadulterated swagger and reckless stupidity. It turns out being completely oblivious is so much fun."

Velez takes the opposite approach as the perpetually nervous Mr. Green.

"I play Mr. Green as the ultimate bundle of nerves," Velez said. "He's this deeply anxious, overly cautious guy who shows up to the mansion absolutely terrified of his secrets getting exposed, so he's jumping at every single shadow from the second he walks through the door."

Clue is Velez's first non-musical production. The show has given him an appreciation for physical comedy.

"I had no idea how much fun it would be to spend an entire show screaming and falling down every five minutes," Velez said.

The show's comedy depends on timing and ensemble chemistry, which comes naturally to a cast and crew whose members have worked together on numerous productions, Velez said.

"You know everyone has your back, we're all going to make each other shine, and together we're delivering a phenomenal show," he said.

DeHart plays among the most morbid of suspects in "Clue."

"I play Mrs. White, a widow who definitely did not murder her previous husbands," DeHart said. "She's serious, macabre and a little kooky at times."

The production offers something for audiences whether their introduction to "Clue" came from the board game, the movie or neither, DeHart said.

"Fans of the movie will appreciate the nods to famous lines and scenes, while fans of the game will enjoy playing along and deducing who the murderer is," she said. "Overall, I hope patrons leave the theater thoroughly entertained."

Playing the murder victim comes with its own comedic challenges. Peyton, who plays Mr. Boddy, said

"Honestly, playing dead has made me break more times than I thought it would," Peyton, also in the ensemble, said. "Everyone does a wonderful job hootin' and hollerin'."

Behind the onstage chaos are months of rehearsals and the work of actors, crew and volunteers. Kit Parsons said that work is at the forefront of his mind as opening night approaches.

"A lot of unseen work goes into putting up these shows, and if we do our job well, it will look easy," Kit Parsons said. "For me, a successful opening night would be if the cast feels proud of what they have presented and an audience who is getting their money's worth."

Opening night brings its own nervous excitement after months of preparation, Wilson said.

"This is it. No more rehearsals, no more changes," Wilson said. "Just going out there and having a blast, giving the audience an awesome show full of hilarity and hopefully inspiring others to try their hand at being on stage at the Actors Guild."

The production is rated PG-13 due to the subject matter rather than language or mature content, Kit Parsons said.

"It does feature murders, but like a fun kind," Parsons said.