Media/Entertainment
Media/Entertainment
I Haven’t a Clue!
Who, what, where, and…why? In your average game of Clue, the famous 1949 whodunnit board game, these are, to some extent, the questions that you’re trying to solve. Throughout the years, this game has been adapted into numerous forms of media. You might be asking why exactly this game became so popular that it was turned into a movie starring a handful of famous actors, a TV series franchise, a book series, and a play. When you look at the game from a distance, it seems boring. But, to me and many others, the game is a classic that is near and dear to their hearts. With all of the randomization built into the gameplay, no two games of Clue are the same. It is also an easy game to teach others, and the possible strategies to take in solving the main questions of the game. Who killed Mr. Body, with what, and where, and most importantly, why?
The premise of the game alone lends itself easily to a unique form of theater. In the adaptation that most recently was at PPAC from Jan. 16th-18th, there were three possible “outcomes.” So, even if you were to go to two showings, back-to-back, the endings would not be the same. An interesting take on theater as a whole, is it not? And yet, it still gets better. It makes sense for a whodunnit to be serious, dark, and gritty. And yet, the play is a true comedy.
While the play takes the title of the board game, it is clearly more influenced by Clue, the movie from 1985. Starring Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, and a handful of other popular actors, the movie takes the concept of a murder mystery and turns it into a comedy. In fact, the concept of multiple endings comes from the 1985 movie. The movie, like the play, has three different endings. It doesn’t take itself seriously, using multiple different types of comedy throughout. For example, in one scene, a singing telegram shows up at the door. Before she can even begin to sign her actual message, she is shot by the murderer in a black-comedy esque moment. There are other numerous instances of slapstick comedy, leading to numerous laughs in the viewing experience. Despite not doing too well at the box office following its release, it quickly became a cult classic and is still loved all these years later.
Even though the play has left PPAC, it’s not too late to experience the humor of Clue. You can find it on multiple streaming services to rent for under five dollars. If you’re looking for good laughs for relatively cheap, check it out!
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