Murder, mayhem and merriment are at the core of CC Theatre’s fall production of Clue, a whirlwind whodunit play inspired by the 1985 movie that was, of course, inspired by the board game.
At 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 26; Friday, October 27; and Saturday, October 28, the Concord-Carlisle High School auditorium’s curtain will rise to reveal a whimsical cast of characters with obscure histories who quickly become entangled in the plans of their mysterious host.
CC Theatre’s artistic director, Melissa Charych, said the choice of Clue came in part due to the program’s goal of “[making] sure students leave their four-year experience with a diverse range of material,” and in part because of overwhelming student support for a comedy this fall.
Nearly everyone involved saidC lue is farcical and fun. “I laugh out loud when I’m sitting at my kitchen table planning out the blocking for these scenes, just knowing how the actors are going to nail it,” Charych said.
Stage fighting and physical comedy abound, as do full breakdowns of hysterical laughter by the cast and crew during rehearsals, experiences that have only strengthened the bonds between CC Theatre’s already tight-knit community.
The students involved echo similar sentiments: Stella Kaplowitz, ’25 (Police Officer, Program Coordinator, Bio Manager) said the script’s “comedic genius” combined with each character’s “unique personalities … will be brought to life in a hilarious way.”
Wilbur Moffitt, ’24 (Mr. Boddy) said the cast “knows its own comedic timing and is willing to make bold choices to reach its full potential.” Ultimately, however, said Ned Roos, CC Theatre’s technical director, it will be up to the audience to “catch all the humor” and wordplay throughout the fast-paced production.
Despite the challenge of navigating the sizing of men’s clothing— which included calling her uncle “to help me dress Professor Plum” — Davidson simply “can’t wait to see them all on the stage!”
Perhaps one of CC Theatre’s most defining characteristics is the students’ level of passion and dedication, and as Charych puts it, “the collaboration of the cast and crew working toward the same overarching vision.”
Roos describes feeling “laughervous”—“a combination of laughing and nervous”— because “this is a really funny show with lots of puns and tricky humor” but “we still aren’t positive the set will work the way we need it to.”
As often the case with CC Theatre productions, Clue is coming together on a tight timeline of less than two months. The set may be one of the most complicated parts of this show, both in regards to designing and redesigning the intricate parts.
The student-led tech crews work under the guidance of Roos and Mike Hamblin, a retired CCHS engineering teacher who returned as a contracted tech mentor.
Vail Henry-Hanson, ’25 (Head of Scenic Art) said reaching out to the community of adults and students has made it “much more manageable.”
Beneath Clue’s lighthearted tomfoolery lies a deeper message about how paranoia and finger-pointing “prevent us from getting to the bottom of things and finding a reasonable and effective solution to our problems,” said Charles Mastromarino, ’26 (Chief of Police).
Moffitt hopes “audiences will remember that, more often than not, we are fighting against the same things, and are more effective if we do so together and with a cool head.” He added, “At the same time, there is a very ‘slapstick’ feel to this production that I hope the audience appreciates.”
Concludes Charych, “I think there are very important messages about truth, suspicion, and morality,” but “if the audience comes away with a feeling of ‘whodunit’ fun, we’ll feel like we found success.”
Purchase tickets for Clue at ticketstage.com/T/CCHS. The production will run approximately 90 minutes with no intermission and will be open-captioned.
