Cluedo ★★★ Richmond Theatre | March 7 - 12, 2022


Who hasn't whiled away happy hours playing Cluedo? The board game invented in Britain during WW II has inspired 29 special editions, a game show, and a movie. Now we have "the play" and all our favourites are here in a slapstick farce that goes by at furious pace. Michelle Collins is a suitably sultry Miss Scarlett, Tom Babbage is a fantastically flexible Reverend Green and Wesley Griffith is a delightfully obtuse Colonel Mustard. To the usual group of suspects Mrs. White (Etisyai Philip), Mrs. Peacock (Judith Amsenga) and Professor Plum (Daniel Casey) we also have the added characters of the butler, Wadsworth (Jean-Luke Worrell), and maid, Yvette (Laura Kirman). The piece is played very broadly in a frenetic silent picture style. The focus is not on character development. It is all about the plot – and what a plot it is! At one point, Wadsworth tries to sum it up in a hilarious sequence that probably leaves the audience none the wiser, but no one cares. The fun is in the silly jokes and goofy parody. Director, Mark Bell, keeps things moving at a hectic speed and David Farley has designed a clever set with more doors than a Feydeau farce. As the bodies keeping piling up, the laughs keep rolling in and the second act has some inspired madness recalling the best of absurdist drama. If you're looking for some comic relief from the grim grind of daily news, we'd recommend a night of Cluedo.

Rated: ★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Craig Sugden.

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When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: 1 Little Grn, Richmond TW9 1QH, UK

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