The doors of Boddy Manor opened to audiences during the CHS Drama Club’s premiere of “Clue: On Stage” Friday, Dec 1. The show was filled with mystery, laughter and of course, murder, and boy did this show live up to expectations.
To start, the stage setup was phenomenal. The backdrop, expertly painted by juniors Evie Seetoo of Freehold and Cate Stanziola of Ocean Township, closely mimicked the scenes from the classic board game, evoking feelings of eerie nostalgia. The backdrop included paintings of each room, aligned with lights underneath each. The lights turned on and off to signify moving from room to room throughout the play — great ingenuity thought up by the production team.
The backdrop was not the only thing setting the tone for the play. In a show with more than triple the normal number of set changes than usual, the stage crew had a job to do, and they stepped up to the challenge. They did fantastic moving swiftly between scenes to set up props, move couches and refill champagne glasses with minimal stumbling up and down the stairs in the dark.
Before we get into the actual acting, the lighting must be discussed. When each of the six guests entered the mansion for the first time — Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Colonel Mustard, Miss Peacock, Mrs. White, Mr. Green — the stage was illuminated with their respective colors, a creative combination of the ideas from lighting directors seniors Mackenzie Prince of Union Beach and Andrew Seckular of Middletown. To signify moving from room to room throughout the play, the respective lights were turned on and off. Even with technical difficulties, the lighting department persevered and did a great job.
Now, onto the drama. The acting was truly spectacular, not to mention all of the fake deaths, shocked faces and murders — the audience was on the edge of their seats for the entire performance.
Junior Phin Whedon of Wall played Wadsworth, the butler in the show, and may we say, his acting was to die for. When he re-enacted the death of Mr. Boddy and literally face-planted onto the stage, the entire audience gasped.
Colonel Mustard, played by senior Garrett Stemetzki of Wall, provided some of the best comedic relief throughout the show. We’re not sure if the audience was more shocked by his passionate acting or the amazing quality of his fake mustache.
Freshman Charlotte Mathias of Long Branch wowed the audience with her old-lady accent and hilarious depictions of Mrs. Peacock. Her confidence on stage left us in disbelief that she is only a freshman — we hope to see her in many more productions!
Miss Scarlet, played by senior Liza Madore of Atlantic Highlands, left a scar on our hearts when the performance was over because we never wanted the show to end.
Senior Logan Clarke of Howell had the role of Professor Plum. He did a great job balancing the stern facial expressions of his doctor role while also making us laugh with his comedic moments. We would love to see him explore his musical talents in the spring.
Mrs. White, played by senior Avery Decker of Monmouth Beach, dazzled the audience with her elegant role. We wish we could get a ‘clue’ on how to be a great actress like her.
Lastly, Mr. Green, played by the Drama Club’s golden boy, senior Justin Longo of Middletown, left the audience in shock with his great acting during the nail-biting conclusion of the show.
Overall, we want to applaud the efforts of everyone involved with the Drama Club, especially seniors Hannah Cohen of Sea Bright and Jordan Juliano of Long Branch, the play’s director and producer, respectively. Much of this success can be attributed to Cohen’s unique style of directing, often adding her own touches to make the play more relevant for the CHS audience. In partnership with their assistants, juniors Isabel Moller and Christie DeNicola of Tinton Falls, the production team behind this play is a force to be reckoned with.
All in all, we’re willing to argue that this is the best production we’ve ever seen here at CHS, even competing with last spring’s “Little Shop of Horrors.” We can only hope this year’s musical will be just as killer.
