Get a 'Clue': Theatre Guild brings mystery game to life

Sep. 23—VALDOSTA — Theatre Guild Valdosta had "Clue: On Stage" cast last summer with the hope the pandemic would be over by fall 2020.

Sets were designed. Rehearsals were scheduled. A fall run date had been set.

Like many people and organizations, the Guild didn't have a clue how long the coronavirus would last.

The 2020-21 Guild season was cancelled. Briefly, the Guild expressed hopes that "Clue" and "Mystery, Mayhem and Murder" might take the stage in early 2021. "Mayhem" had been almost fully rehearsed when the pandemic struck in early 2020.

While "Mayhem" never made the Dosta Playhouse stage, "Clue" is finally scheduled to open this week.

Director Brock Gilliard said three people from the original 2020 cast are still in the fall 2021 show: Dalton Bell, Patti Robertson and Amanda Sanderson. The rest of the actors had to be recast to play well-known characters such as Ms. Scarlett, Col. Mustard, Mr. Boddy, Professor Plum, Mrs. Peacock and others from the popular board game and the subsequent 1985 movie.

Gilliard said the stage show is adapted from the movie comedy. "Clue: On Stage" and even includes a soundtrack with Betsy Kingsbury on piano for the Guild performances.

The Guild synopsis describes "Clue" as taking place on "a dark and stormy night, and you've been invited to a very unusual dinner party. Each of the guests has an alias, the butler offers a variety of weapons, and the host is, well ... dead. So whodunnit? Join the iconic oddballs known as Scarlet, Plum, White, Green, Peacock, and Mustard as they race to find the murderer in Boddy Manor before the body count stacks up. ... 'Clue' is a madcap comedy that will keep you guessing until the final twist."

A glance at the large line of doors in Lynnette Kenworthy's set design speaks to the "madcap" nature of the show. Most farces have about a half-dozen doors for characters to exit and enter in a dash. "Clue" has about a dozen doors. Gilliard adds all of the doors are used by the 14-member cast.

The director said there are about as many people back stage doing the serious work of keeping the farce operating smoothly, under the leadership of Heather Dowdy, stage manager, and Brawdy Gupton, assistant stage manager.

Gilliard, who has been a long-time Guild performer and director, said he enjoys directing the mysteries and he will take a bit more of a serious turn directing another mystery scheduled for May 2022: "Murder on the Orient Express."

THE CAST: Allyssa Barber, Devin Brunston, Ben Hawley, Barry Lyle, Dalton Bell, Amanda Sanderson, Bryan Layton, Patti Robertson, Jaclyn Taylor, Kelly Barbour, Leslie Elkins, Heather Dowdy, Sophie Buehrer, M.K. Sanderson.

Theatre Guild Valdosta's "Clue: On Stage" plays 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23-25, Sept. 30-Oct. 2; 2 p.m., Sept. 26, The Dosta Playhouse, 122 N. Ashley St. More information: Call (229) 24-STAGE or visit www.theatreguildvaldosta.com. Masks are mandatory for audiences.