‘CLUE: on Stage’ opens on Thursday

There is a murderer in the drama club, but, who is it? Come see “CLUE: On Stage” to find out!

The Gloucester High School Theatre Program presents “CLUE: On Stage,” written by Sandy Rustin, as their fall production. With 13 cast members and a bunch of helpful tech crew and production team members, they have all put a lot of effort and practice since the third week of September to bring this show to life!  

The show takes place on a dark and stormy night, and consists of a very unusual dinner party. The butler (Tyler Weed) gives out a variety of weapons, only to find that the host is dead. The big question is, who did it? The show features the iconic oddballs known as Ms. Scarlet (Malia Andrews), Professor Plum (Seamus Buckley), Mrs. White (Aurelia Harrison), Mr. Green (AJ Porcello), Mrs. Peacock (Clara Del Vecchio), and Colonel Mustard (Finn Wall) as they race to find the murderer in Boddy Manor before the body count stacks up.

“It’s going interestingly, but I think we’re getting there,” said Athena Rowe, stage manager of Clue. “I like the show, it’s really good.” As stage manager, Rowe has been at all the rehearsals and set builds related to Clue and has watched the show come together, piece by piece. 

The 90-minute comedy is based on the board game Clue, but with more drama and intensity. 

Theatre Arts teacher and director of the theatre program, Ms. Jessica Ruggles is very excited about the production, with opening night being less than 48 hours away.

“I think the show is coming along well,” Ruggles said describing the process of the show coming along. “There are a lot of new members of the drama club so at times it can be a bit slower than in the past, but it’s been exciting to see the upperclassmen use their knowledge to help the underclassmen succeed.”

If you come to see Clue, aside from the student actors, you might recognize some familiar faces. Teachers have been invited to portray special characters in the show, including Ms. Cafasso Mr. Kobs, Mr. Linehan, and more. Some of these staff members have participated in last year’s musical “Footloose,” but some others are making their GHS Theatre debuts for the first time. 

Ruggles is very proud of the students as they have put so much effort and time into the show. With multiple rehearsals a week, staying after until 9, and coming in on weekends this past week to bring all pieces of the show together. 

“My favorite part is seeing the ideas we had on the page come to life,” said Ruggles. “For example, Tyler Weed’s set design ideas, Malia Andrews’ award-winning costume designs, Ari Priest and Collin Kane’s lighting ideas, and Treely Dowd, Mikey Merchant, and Grace Tierney’s sound cue designs.”

If you are interested in coming to see Clue on stage, the performances are Thursday, November 17th at 7:00pm, Friday, November 18th at 7:00 pm, and Saturday, November 19th at 1:00 pm (Matinee) and 7:00 pm.