A long-standing tradition empowers students to direct the winter drama production. Friday and Saturday at 7:00 PM, an adaptation of the 1985 movie "Clue" (loosely based on the board game) plays in the Norris Family Theater under the direction of seniors Sam Peele and Graydon Pleasants.

 

By coincidence, these guys first worked together in theater in the eighth grade, at Indian Mountain School (CT). This term, their task began by writing their own adaptation from the film. Their vision was inspired; the play utilizes the entire stage (which is expansive) as well as the entire theater space.

Set in a Victorian mansion in New England during the McCarthy era, the story begins fast, as six confused guests arrive for a mysterious dinner party at which their true identities are concealed behind pseudonyms. "What do we have in common?" they ask. It doesn't take long for the murders to begin.


 

Who dunnit? The plot thickens as uninvited visitors--a disabled motorist, a singer and a policeman all quickly die. Accusations and denials fly.


 

Sam and Graydon chose this challenging production for its hilarious situations and one-liners. Bodies pile up in the parlor; the maid is sprawled across the billiard table with a noose around her neck; the motorist sits--dead--with a wine bottle positioned in his hands to deceive authorities.




A naive policeman calls in as his murderer approaches with a lead pipe:



Colonel Mustard offers his assessment:

 

Each character's dark secrets are revealed--some quickly, others toward the final scene. The guests are all being blackmailed, but by whom? Surprises are many!


 

The supposed butler, Wadsworth, establishes that the police are arriving soon, causing a frantic pace to the mystery and the characters' need for resolution.


 

Of course, all is not as it seems, and we are led through a dizzying set of possibilities.

 

Is there one murderer, or several? Professor Plum ponders his weapon.

 

As the plot approaches a climax, we're entertained by not one--but three--entirely distinct endings, each consistent with the clues and circumstances we have enjoyed!



 

The actors throw themselves into their quirky characters. Sam notes, "Watching the movie now, you can see that some of our actors are beginning to look like the originals." Graydon and Sam's leadership is reflected in the confidence and poise of the cast, and the outcome is brilliant. Don't miss it!