|
|
|
|
|
Cluedo 2 – The Next Chapter Malvern Theatres **** It was appropriate and reassuring to see the board of Cluedo as the backdrop to this production; tHe show was very cleverly designed by David Farley from start to finish. The use of roll-on/roll-off scenery and properties to create the different rooms and settings for the play – the conservatory, the kitchen, the billiard room, the study etc – worked delightfully and ingeniously. Into this setting we meet the cast of mostly familiar characters – Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlett, Professor Plum, Miss White etc. This production is zany and farcical - full of exaggerated and stylised characters and performances. We are treated to more than a single murder; suspicions shift from one to another, accusations fly around and the absurd and slapstick become the norm! The cast have gathered at the manor house of a failing rock star, Rick Black, who hopes to revive his career with a new release, but who promptly meets his doom. The familiar characters are linked in different ways to him: Colonel Mustard is his manager, Miss Scarlett his interior designer, Miss Peacock his unfaithful wife etc. The cast is wonderfully varied and all the performers are talented and flexible. Mrs White (Dawn Buckland) and Wadsworth , the ‘butler’ who wasn’t, (Jack Bennett), were outstanding in a strong team, along with the adaptable Liam Horrigan who covered several bases. The traditional implements, - the rope, the dagger, the revolver, the lead-piping, the candlestick - all played their parts in a mesmerising turn of events. Who could survive? After a slow start the performance gathered momentum, the second act was very funny. The cleverly designed set was complemented by excellent work on costume, lighting and sound. The physical comedy and the choreographed movements contributed to an evening of totally light-hearted frivolity in which the cast clearly revelled. The plot is shallow and merely provides the skeleton on which to hang the farce, the puns, the caricatures. Cluedo 2 provides a nostalgic and entertaining escape this week at Malvern until Saturday 4th May. Tim Crow 30-04-24 |
|
|
|
