first night review: clue @ The saenger

Clue @ The Saenger Theatre
Review by Dorian Hatchett

Based on a boardgame from 1943, and then a hit movie from 1985, the plot of the chaotic scramble that is Clue: A New Comedy was no surprise to most of the audience tonight at the premiere of the New Orleans leg of the national tour.

There is very little truly new under the sun in the world of the theatre. We attend the theatre to be transported, for a few minutes, to somewhere outside of ourselves. To exist in a place where the story and the movement are magic, even if we already know them by heart. In that goal, I am absolutely delighted to report that this show is a complete success.  

The ensemble cast with their code names were all consummate character actors. In this production, there is no such thing as over the top, and from accented affectation to acrobat-level physical comedy, the the bodies on stage (both alive and deceased) roused the audience to spontaneous laughter and applause in a seemingly endless series of crescendos. From the very first moment of dialogue between Wadsworth and Yvette, the tone is set with a cartoonish approach to comedy and a flawless delivery of witty banter with perfect timing.  

The set was a real star in this show. A series of shifting walls and doors turned the relatively small stage of the Saenger Theater into an entire victorian mansion with a seamless suspension of disbelief.  The raging thunderstorm beyond the windows of the foyer was a constant companion to the drama within.  

The actors know this set, and interact with it with a comfort and familiarity that rarely shines in traveling productions, and I found myself impressed again and again with the movement of the action as it flowed through walls and around corners with grace and sophistication. All the while, I was laughing at the Benny Hill-esque chase scenes and madcap buffoonery that really highlighted the expertise of the actors and their mastery of the material.

Sometimes the simplest of physical gags can be the hardest to pull off, but this ensemble made it look easy and fun. Instead of attempting to redo the performances of previous actors in these roles, each actor made their character completely their own, in a new approach to a classic story.  

Be delighted, be impressed, be amused, and be part of the audience of a show that is at its root, just fun for fun’s sake.  

Clue: A New Comedy at the Saenger Theater July 18-23 
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