There’s a murder in the mansion, everyone has a secret and anyone could be the killer. Clue, now playing a limited engagement at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, takes the familiar ingredients of the classic board game and turns them into a fast-moving night of physical comedy, mystery and exaggerated characters.
Based on the 1985 Paramount Pictures cult film and inspired by the Hasbro board game, the stage production doesn’t require audiences to know either one. Those who do, however, will have an extra layer of fun spotting familiar characters, rooms and potential murder weapons as they appear.
Set in 1954, the story begins on a dark and stormy night at the Boddy Manor in New England. Six strangers arrive for dinner after receiving mysterious invitations. They are greeted by Wadsworth, the manor’s tightly wound butler, and soon discover that their host, Mr. Boddy, knows considerably more about each of them than they would like.
The guests aren’t exactly introduced by their real names. Instead, there is the glamorous Miss Scarlet, the blustering Colonel Mustard, nervous Mr. Green, eccentric Mrs. Peacock, mysterious Mrs. White and self-assured Professor Plum.
When Mr. Boddy turns up dead, dinner quickly becomes a murder investigation. Doors open and slam shut, characters disappear into different rooms, bodies begin piling up and the suspects race through the mansion attempting to figure out who is responsible before someone else becomes the next victim.
Anyone expecting a traditional, serious whodunit may be surprised. Clue is much more farce than Agatha Christie. The mystery provides the framework, but the laughs are the attraction. Director Casey Hushion keeps the production moving at a frantic pace, particularly as the evening becomes increasingly chaotic.
Adam Brett is a standout as Wadsworth, the butler charged with keeping this peculiar gathering under control. Brett’s performance becomes increasingly physical as the mystery unfolds, culminating in a rapid-fire recreation of the night’s events that is one of the most impressive acts of the production.
The rest of the cast embraces the larger-than-life personalities that have made the Clue characters so recognizable. Sarah McKenzie Baron plays Mrs. White, Camille Capers is Miss Scarlet, Nate Curlott takes on Colonel Mustard, TJ Lamando plays Mr. Green, Madeline Raube is Mrs. Peacock and Kyle Yampiro portrays Professor Plum.
Joseph Dalfonso appears as the ominous Mr. Boddy and other characters, while Zoie Tannous plays Yvette, the French maid whose presence adds another layer of intrigue to an already suspicious household. AT Sanders appears as the Cook and other roles, with Kebron Woodfin as the Cop and additional characters.
Much of the comedy comes not from individual punchlines but from the ensemble’s timing. Characters collide, hide, eavesdrop, misunderstand one another and react to each new discovery with increasing panic. The cast functions like a piece of choreography.
Boddy Manor itself is another star of the show. Lee Savage’s scenic design transforms the stage into the sprawling mansion audiences expect from Clue, revealing different rooms as the suspects move through the house. Rather than keeping the action confined to one drawing room, the set helps create the feeling that the characters are racing through an enormous home filled with hidden corners and possible crime scenes.
Jen Caprio’s costumes establish the familiar personalities and colors of the Clue universe, while Ryan O’Gara’s lighting and Jeff Human’s sound design provide the thunder, darkness and sudden surprises necessary for a proper murder mystery. Michael Holland’s original music adds to the production’s playful sense of suspense.
At approximately 90 minutes without an intermission, Clue is fast paced and perfectly timed for a straight through play.
Clue plays at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles September 8–12, 2026, for a limited seven-performance engagement. Tickets at https://www.centertheatregroup.org/. Clue will then tour throughout the country through April 2027.
