Cluedo 2: The Next Chapter
Written by Laurence Marks & Maurice Gran
Directed by Mark Bell
4 June 2024
⭐⭐
Based on the much-loved board game, Cluedo 2 is a light-hearted comedy murder mystery featuring all the colourful characters, rooms and props we are familiar with from the Hasbro game.
The story takes place during the 1960's in Graveny Manor, a 17-room mansion owned by rock star Mr Black (Liam Horrigan). Mr Black, who is the spitting image of Russell Brand, has new music to debut, and he has gathered together a group of friends and colleagues to help evaluate it.
Soon there is a murder at Graveny Manor, and from then on we are led on a dance through the various rooms of the house and through the backstories of the houseguests as we try to work out "whodunnit".
It's a convoluted, meandering affair with a lot of slapstick and little suspense. It borrows much from 'Weekend at Bernies' and 'Scooby Doo', although they stop just short of declaring "I would have gotten away with too if it wasn't for those pesky kids!"
The group of nine suspects are all outfitted in their applicable colours: Revered Green (Gabriel Paul) wears green, Colonel Mustard (Jason Durr) wears yellow, Miss Scarlet (Ellie Leach) wears a 60's style red mini dress and so forth. But some of the costumes are rather muted; and I found that to be the case with the entire show. The costumes are fine, the set is a little clunky and the comedy is a mixed bag. Nothing really stands out as vivid or remarkable - this show does lack that special spark unfortunately.
The story drags a little with so many characters, their links to the murder victim and motives to spin through. An effort has been made to break up the dialogue scenes with the farcical, Scooby-doo-esque choreographed pieces, and the cast do look like they're having a great time. But other scenes felt awkward and contrived, and the overacting was uncomfortable to watch. I wasn't sure if some characters were meant to be overplayed - it wasn't clear.
The saving graces are Hannah Boyce as Mrs Peacock and Dawn Buckland as housekeeper Mrs White; both fantastic performances.
The lighting was odd: the stage was full of shadows at times making some of the props and faces difficult to see. The highlight of the set was a beautiful model house looming at the rear of the stage in front of a stunning giant reproduction of the classic Cluedo game board. That was lit beautifully, but the design quality for that piece unfortunately didn't flow through to the rest of the production.
Cluedo 2 is very much on the family friendly, cheery side of murder mystery plays. There is nothing gruesome or shocking on show; it shouldn't alarm or frighten the children. The humour likewise is pretty gentle, but at times felt out-dated or simply didn't land. Some of the running gags ran on to the point of exhaustion, but I'm absolutely convinced that my 11-year-old nephew would've found it all hilarious.
When the comedy did work, it was genuinely funny, and that sums up my experience of Cluedo 2 exactly: it was very hit and miss. Director Mark Bell has also directed the superb The Play That Goes Wrong but sadly Cluedo 2 fails to reach the level of genius and slick production values that Mischief Comedy and the 'Goes Wrong' shows have achieved.
⭐⭐
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Cluedo 2 is at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow from Tues 4 - Sat 8 June 2024
🎟️ Tickets are available from £13
⚠️ Age recommendation: 8+
📸 Production photos: John Hytch
➡️ See what else is coming up at The Theatre Royal, Glasgow soon including Life of Pi, Burlesque, Only fools and Horses the musical and Disney's Aladdin!
➡️ See what else is coming up at Glasgow King's Theatre soon including Jesus Christ Superstar, & Juliet, Come From Away and 101 Dalmatians.
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Cluedo 2 review, UK Tour, Theatre Royal, Glasgow June 2024. Laurence Marks, Maurice Gran, Jason Durr and Ellie Leach
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🎟️ Disclosure: I was invited to review this show and received a complimentary ticket in exchange. Neither the venue nor show has a say in what I write. I'm completely independent and invites have no impact on my analysis or star ratings.
