On Friday, March 13, Saturday, March 14, and Sunday, March 15, the Undergraduate Theater Collective brought their performance of “Clue: On Stage” to the SCC Theater, and it was a truly impressive performance. “Clue: On Stage” is a comedic adaptation of the 1985 film “Clue” and is based on the board game by Hasbro. Six individuals, known only by color-themed aliases, are invited to Boddy Manor for a mysterious party. When their host ends up being murdered, the characters try to find out who is responsible before anyone else can be killed.
Director Hannah “Phoenix” Feldman ’27, along with the entire cast, really brought the story to life. Every character was portrayed flawlessly, with every cast member allowing their character’s unique personality traits to shine. Especially impressive were the performances of Sean Walker ’28 and Rowan Scassellati ’26. Walker, making his acting debut, nailed the role of Miss Scarlet, a madame and one of the most eccentric characters in a play full of eccentric characters. Scasselatti delivered an impressive performance as Mr. Green, a nervous wreck throughout the entire play, who is revealed to be an undercover FBI agent only posing as the actual Mr. Green. Scasselatti’s performance is made even more impressive by the fact that, in addition to starring in the production, he also served as its fight coordinator.
Of course, such an excellent performance would have been impossible without equally talented work from the crew behind the scenes. The set design was particularly impressive. On only one small stage, the “Clue: On Stage” crew was able to bring to life nine separate rooms, two secret passageways, and the manor’s entrance. Although a sign was suspended from the ceiling to tell the audience which room the characters were in, it was rarely necessary, as the various sets often made it quite obvious.
The sound and lighting effects of the production worked together wonderfully and truly brought the play to the next level. The lighting, designed by Ev Levine ’28 and operated by Eli McCombs, was able to bring out the creepy atmosphere of Boddy Manor, while simultaneously highlighting each individual character in their respective color. The sound, which was designed and operated by Dalya Lessem Elnecave ’27, was flawless. Everything from the gunshot noise to the repeated doorbell sounds was timed perfectly. And of course, the entire play takes place during a thunderstorm, which required the sound effects and lighting to be timed perfectly, which they were.
“Clue: On Stage” was the best performance I’ve seen at Brandeis. It felt more like a professional production than a college performance. Every cast member portrayed their character convincingly, and the play’s crew truly went above and beyond to make this performance spectacular. Overall, I would give UTC’s performance a 10 out of 10.
Ev Levine was not a part of the writing or editing of this piece.
