Fancy a murder mystery weekend but not got the time? Then this production of Cluedo will give you the experience in 90 mins.
A show originally devised by students of the John Cabot Academy from Bristol, it has been updated by the current cast and creative team from that institution. All the characters from the board game are in this production and the young cast observe the stereotypical characters very well.
Although there is no obvious star, Kane Power uses his lanky frame to make his character stand out. Colonel Mustard is another part that creates an impression, especially his nifty footwork in one of his solos. The Rev. Green is played well by Luke Horne, but he needs to watch that his voice remains his and not Michael Crawford's t.v. personna.
As an ensemble, the cast sing well in harmony even if the hand movements lack the slickness seen in some other productions. The plot was well devised and naturally far- fetched, but the dialogue was crisp and the music used effectively to move the story on. The story was a bit like an Ian Rankin "Rebus" novel, with one main mystery - the murder at Tudor Hall - and the subsidiary mystery of where the music from the show came from. Without the benefit of a programme where the company acknowledge their sources, I found my attention wandering as to what was original and what came from another show.
Chicago and Half of Sixpence were obvious, but while the catchy opening number of "London is London" stayed with me for sometime, I had to use a well known search engine to locate it in Goodbye Mr Chips. While the creative team must have gone to a lot of trouble to source appropriate songs that were delivered with punch and panache, I have reservations about this practice which may be shared by others.
Times: Aug 19-23 at 12:45