'Clue, The Musical' opens

PORT CLINTON - Joe Morsher of Bellevue is "Mr. Boddy, Lord of Boddy Manor" when Playmakers Civic Theater, 604 W. Sixth St., opens its 63rd season Nov. 12-22 with an eight-performance run of Clue, The Musical.

The show features eight area actors, and the entire audience, each night in a musical romp through the favorite Parker Brothers board game.

In addition to the six colorful characters, Clue, The Musical adds Mr. Boddy, Lord of Boddy Manor where the murder occurs, and a shrewd female detective who interrogates the suspects.

The audience has the usual Clue game form on which they eliminate possible solutions until discovering 'suspect, room and weapon' for the final solution, which is pre-determined by the audience.

Beginning the show, Mr. Boddy will invite three audience members to select a suspect, weapon or room card and slip each unseen into "The Solution" envelope which remains on stage until opened at the musical's conclusion. Only the cast will know the final solution since they will have different lines if selected to be the murderer.

There are 216 possible solutions each night.

Throughout the evening, the cast will sing and dance its way through numerous 'crime scenes,' utilizing various weapons in various 'rooms' created from six four-sided columns which become 'actors' in the show as the cast turns and moves them to create a scene.

After each scene, Mr. Boddy, Lord of Boddy Manor and now 'corpse,' tells the audience which clues they just saw and how many to ignore. The audience will use the information to mark their game cards as they solve the mystery, aided by the detective's interrogations. Once the solution is revealed, game cards of successful audience sleuths will be placed in a drawing to win a Clue game autographed by the cast and crew.

Playmakers' 63rd season includes Weekend Comedy in January, Messiah on the Frigidaire in March and the classic musical Mame in June.

Tickets for shows are $15 each. Season tickets are only $30, effectively offering two of the four shows free.

Reservations for Clue may be made beginning Nov. 8, by calling the box office at 419 734-5044. A reservation guarantees a seat. However there are no reserved seats and audience members are encouraged to arrive a half hour before the show to choose a seat.

Clue will be onstage 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday Nov. 12-14 and 19-21, and 2 p.m. Sunday Nov. 15 and 22. Doors open a half hour before curtain.