The performing arts have been transformed into something much more accessible to audiences in lieu of the pandemic. Here at Mounds View, the theatre club put on a spectacular show of Clue: On Stage!, virtually. Based off the popular board game Clue, the play captured the essence of a murder mystery as well as that of a slapstick comedy.

The first step to watching any play is obtaining tickets. The website the theatre club used for ticket purchasing was user-friendly and simple to navigate. The link to purchase the tickets was in the daily newsletter as well as the Instagram bio of the theatre club, so it was easily accessible. I definitely was not expecting one ticket to have a flat fee of $16, particularly for students and staff, but I think the production and quality of the virtual show was high enough for that price to make sense. 

All actors were wearing masks that matched their costumes, with their microphones on top. There were not any significant disturbances in the audio, and the video quality was extremely clear. In my opinion, the performance was presented with more clarity than in an in-person show because all audience members had the opportunity of watching the show close-up. 

When the show started, I noticed that the backdrop was created like the set up of a dollhouse. It gave the audience the opportunity to peer into every room of the household from a vertical standpoint. I also thought the set designers worked especially hard to incorporate the original board game’s art into the state design . 

The characters were the same as that of the board game, but with the addition of a few characters for the sake of plot development. The story-line consists of six people who are invited to a mansion for a dinner that is hosted by an anonymous figure named Mr. Boddy. All six guests are given aliases to maintain anonymity. However, the guests come to learn that they are all being blackmailed by the very same host that invited them, and they have to meet certain conditions in order for him to not expose their secrets. As the night unfolds, a series of murders take place and the guests must work together to figure out who the murderer is amongst them. 

My favorite part of the play was when all the characters were getting to know each other at the beginning of the dinner party. There were the most jokes in this portion of the play and learning new things about each character’s personality was intriguing because it brought nuances to the storyline. 

There were many unexpected twists in this play that I really enjoyed. I was pleasantly surprised by how funny the jokes were and it definitely made the play much more entertaining. The actors paid very close attention to the roles they embodied which made the performance very professional and definitely worth the watch.