Was it the Butler in the Library with the Candlestick: Solve the Murder Mystery in Clue
You know all the characters: Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum, Miss Scarlet and Wadsworth, the butler. These iconic characters from the classic board game come to life in Saint Viator High School’s fall production of Clue.
“She’s the diva of the show,” Kaitlin says. “She’s a smartie and cheeky all at the same time.”
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The play is set in a New England mansion in 1954, where six guests are invited to a dinner party and given aliases. On this dark, stormy night the drama unfolds.
“It's over the top and outrageous, just like the 1985 film that it is based on,” says Director Megan Gray. “This style of melodramatic comedy is a genre all its own that I feel our kids have not had the opportunity to explore before.”
Students in the show are having fun with their characters and developing the timing needed to pull off its slapstick comedy and murder mystery all in one.
Joe Kaiser and Paul Schultz both play the role of Wadsworth, the butler, in different casts. Both are working on their British accents for the seemingly stuffy butler and his character shift.
“At the beginning of the show he’s very proper and above everyone,” Joe says, “but as the play unravels, he starts to get more and more manic.”
Ms. Gray held a screening of the 1985 film version of Clue, so that students could choose the character they wanted to audition for, and their various traits stood out.
Finnian Haggerty shares the role of Colonel Mustard with Owen Kelly. Each has worked to bring out the bluster in the familiar suspect.
“I do sort of a Southern preacher kind of accent, making him very over the top,” says Finnian. “I’m having fun with it.”
Kaitlin Power and Nixon Snow (Kollias) share the role of Miss Scarlet.
“She’s the diva of the show,” Kaitlin says. “She’s a smartie and cheeky all at the same time.”
Nixon says simply: “Whenever I played the board game, I always picked Miss Scarlet. I love wearing her red dress. It helps me get into her character.”
Speaking of costumes, senior Bridget Martin is the head costumer for the show, and she did her research.
“I looked in Vogue’s digital archives for classic, mid-1950s attire,” Bridget says. “It’s a dinner party, so it had to be fancy and elegant.”
Anna Stuber, like many of the other cast members, helped build the set. They have been working under the direction of John Tilford, whose more than 25 years of experience includes working at Harpo Studios and the Lookingglass Theater in Chicago.
“It’s been a lot of painting,” Anna says, pointing to scenery that looks much like the different rooms in the board game.
The focal point is a rotating set that revolves into different rooms, from the conservatory to the study, to the lounge or the kitchen. The doors move around the stage and the props all add up to an intricate set that immerses the audience into this classic whodunit.
Ballroom Cast - Oct. 26 & 28 Thomas Bollard '26 Kellie Boyd '26 Dani Brankin '27 Finnian Haggerty ’26 Bridget Martin ’24 Megan Newell '26 Anthony Pham '27 Kaitlin Power '26 Fernanda Romero '24 Paul Schultz '25 Emma Wilkins ’25 Tommy Wilson '25 | Billiard Cast - Oct. 27 & 29 Alex Aldridge '26 Xochitl Chury '26 Tim Dillon '26 Elle Hohmeier ’26 Joe Kaiser ’26 Owen Kelly ’25 Nixon Kollias '26 Eily Nelson ’26 Megan Rittle '27 Katie Strzyzynski '26 Anna Stuber '27 Ben Stuber '26 |
Saint Viator High School
Located in Arlington Heights, IL, Saint Viator High School is a private, co-ed, Catholic school for grades 9-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.