Campy "Clue"

I have a soft spot for murder mysteries (all hail Agatha Christie) so naturally my board game of choice is "Clue"...and one of my beloved guilty secrets is the 1985 movie "Clue", which, frankly, is a terrible movie, but is so bad in its campy, over-the-top-ness, that it's good.

So imagine my delight when San Francisco's Boxcar Theatre mounted a production of "Clue", which is based on both the board game and the movie. I scored a ticket via Goldstar (loves me my Goldstar) and made it to a Wednesday evening performance at the tiny theater, which is located in a not so savory part of SF -- 6th Street and Natoma Street, on the cusp of the Tenderloin. But you forget about the outside (and the shady-looking peeps you passed) when you're inside the theater. For this production, they built an awesome set -- audience members are on high platforms along the perimeter of the main stage, looking down into the stage, which is a life-size Clue game board. Awesome.

Here are a couple of pics I snapped on my cellcam from my seat (in the "South" section):














The production itself was very cleverly done, utilizing the tiny space creatively, and spoofing it, and the game board element, with a plucky cheekiness. (For example, the actors would move game board style, a couple of the actors posed like the game pieces, and the actors would squeeze into the tiny rooms as shown on the set.) Lighting and a couple of minor scenes taking place on a corner of the upper level platforms helped the narration (i.e. characters driving to the mansion, or searching the upstairs attic, etc.), and the use of props was fun, too. (They had pillow forms they used as corpses.)

The writing was witty -- campy and tongue in cheek, a little cheesy -- but it fits the spirit of the game and movie. Costumes and actors were great -- a male actor plays Mrs. Peacock with the flamboyance of a first-rate drag queen, and the actor playing Wadsworth the butler was fantastic, delivering lightning quick lines in sync with zany physical comedy.

And as an obsessive compulsive freak, I also loved the program -- it was done in the style of the Clue game sheets, clever and low-cost. Due to the size of the theater and custom set, it can only accommodate about 40 audience members per show, which actually adds to the experience. The shows also have different "theme" nights. On Wednesday, for example, the ending (the movie had three different endings) was "audience choice", selected in secret by an audience member. But the cast was so good-natured, they performed the other two endings afterwards, which was a nice treat.

All in all, a fun performance, and definitely worth a visit, if you can still score a ticket. The show's run ends this week....and if you can't make the show, then check out the movie, and play the board game!