Students returned to the stage for a gripping production of “Clue: On Stage,” directed by UMass Boston acting and improv lecturer Michael Fennimore with the assistance of student Anna Pumphrey. Open for eight performances in the University Hall Theater Nov. 14 to Nov. 22, the show melded mystery and intrigue with fast-paced humor that left audiences both stirring in suspense and bursting into laughter.
Based on the iconic 1985 film and game of the same name, “Clue” begins with butler Wadsworth as he awaits the arrival of six guests invited by his master — each are given aliases to hide their identities. Upon their arrival at Boddy Manor, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mrs. Peacock, Mr. Green, Professor Plum and Miss Scarlet realize that this is no ordinary dinner party. Rather, blackmail and murderous plans are on the menu.
When they meet the elusive Mr. Boddy, the guests are presented with gifts — their own murder weapons. Mr. Boddy offers them two options: pay double to keep his silence about their “un-American” activities, or kill Wadsworth. However, things take a turn when their host ends up dead, and everyone in the manor becomes suspects. Left with no choice but to solve the case before the police arrive, the cast are thrust into the murder mystery of their lives.
The show featured a stellar cast of students that aptly portrayed the complexity and deeply flawed aspects of their respective characters. Mrs. White, played by Samantha Stanley, is one of the more mysterious characters in the cast, potentially being linked to the deaths of her five ex-husbands.
Stanley recounted her process of becoming Mrs. White on stage. “One of the many things that I have done for my characters onstage is create a character playlist, where I would add a short list of songs to a personal playlist on Spotify, and while listening to these songs, ‘walk’ in Mrs. White’s shoes,” she said. “How would she walk around? How would she observe a room? What is she thinking about in her downtime?”
Q Lauture, playing Mr. Green, similarly highlighted the importance of character choices when acting, especially with a multi-faceted character like Mr. Green, who is revealed at the end to be the undercover FBI agent Larry Goodman.
“Mr. Green is strange for the fact he ends up in these highly unlucky situations,” Lauture said. “As an actor, I felt as though I try to add my own originality to his reactions and choices toward these unlucky circumstances — which sometimes felt tough, because I want my choices to feel authentic to Mr. Green.”
He described how he first mixed the personalities of Mr. Green and Larry Goodman during rehearsals, making Mr. Green “perceptive of everything going on in the mansion” and “very serious most of the show.”
“I didn’t like that interpretation, … so I tried to separate the two completely and enjoyed that a lot more,” Lauture said. “I tried my best to go into an undercover agent mindset in the sense I made Mr. Green his own individual, and when I came out as Larry Goodman, his personality felt more comfortable and free.”
The cast also clearly displayed the complex relationships between specific characters, such as Mrs. Peacock’s discontent for the cook — played by Tahlia West and Hannah Rolston, respectively — and Mrs. White’s history with Yvette, played by Viviana Niebuhr. These unique interactions cue the audience in on the likely suspects for the different murders.
For Stanley, her interactions with the cast varied depending on gender. While she would interact with the male-oriented characters like they were “incompetent” and “easy to manipulate,” she gave the female-oriented characters “more grace,” as they were “all women in a suffocating society.” This was not the case for Yvette, who Mrs. White still held a burning grudge against.
“I had conversations with Viviana Niebuhr about how her character and I first met in order to determine how soon before the events of the story her character had a love affair with my husband, and how deeply it affected me,” Stanley explained.
She continued, “If she spoke to me, I would flinch slightly for two reasons: questioning the audacity of her speaking to me in the first place, and the fact that Mrs. White is facing the one person in the show that has managed to one-up her. So, when she finally kills Yvette at the end, it’s almost relieving to her, even in a manor full of witnesses.”
Aside from the cast, the overall production and set of “Clue” immensely amplified the show experience for audience members.
The initial set consisted of wall panels that acted as the luxurious living chamber walls, working doors, a dangling chandelier and dark marble tiles. When there was a change in setting, the wall panels would flip to reveal different painted scenery, new panels sometimes being added. There was also no shortage of special lighting and sound effects as well throughout the show, set to immerse the audience.
“It was the most cue-heavy show I have ever had to call,” noted stage manager Anya Rule. “Luckily, the light and sound board operators, Sofia Adams and Lucy Rogers, were amazing and incredibly patient with me. By the time showtime rolled around, we all were on the same page, and all the shows ran pretty smoothly.”
For those looking to get involved in acting or tech, auditions are open to all majors and years. The UMass Boston Performing Arts Department will be holding auditions for the next production, “Peter and the Starcatcher,” in February 2025.
