Cluedo 2 UK Tour (2024) Review
Written by Hollie for Theatre and Tonic.
Disclaimer: Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review. All views are my own.
Caution: This production includes: Loud noises and flashing lights.
A packed audience at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal greeted the cast of Cluedo 2, a production about blackmail, secrets and lies which continues to show throughout this week.
Are you somebody who wants to make a prediction before the show starts, discuss your theories throughout the interval or somebody who wants to compare notes after the show ends? If you are any of those then this production is for you!
The production, set in 1968, begins by introducing us to a range of quirky characters who have come together at a dark and old house known as Graveny Manor. Based on the 75 year old Hasbro board game, Cluedo, I was intrigued to see how this murder mystery would play out on stage.
Many of us hold happy memories of playing this game with our families and this production allows you to be involved from the start, as you probably already know the different characters that appear. Will it be Colonel Mustard in the billiard room with the candlestick or Mrs Peacock in the study with the rope?
Directed by Mark Bell, this production heavily relies on the acting talents of the cast due to the stripped back scenery. However, Mark has chosen a fantastic cast of actors to portray the board game’s suspicious suspects. Liam Horrigan as Rick Black, is hilarious and is able to play the role of Rick the rockstar really well. Dawn Buckland as Mrs White the housekeeper, provides many laugh out loud moments for the audience as she was absolutely brilliant at delivering her one liners.
The dialogue between the characters is clever and witty, but at times lengthy and hard to follow, as they start to suspect that each of them could be the murderer. Is anybody actually who they claim to be?
As the first act closed there were lots of questions to be answered. A buzz of excitement could be heard during the interval as the same question was being asked throughout the auditorium, Who do you think it is?
In the second half I tried not to take it as seriously and enjoyed the guessing game of who was innocent and who was guilty. Secrets started to be revealed and malicious accusations were being thrown across the stage as each character tried hard not to implicate themselves.
The use of lighting to set the mood and the changing of the doors to show which room in the house the characters were in was clever, but the production did feel very basic and the short dance routines felt like fillers.
If you feel you have what it takes to be a detective and find out who the murderer is then this production continues at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal until Saturday 25th May 2024.
The production then continues to tour around the United Kingdom in theatres including: Glasgow’s Theatre Royal, Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre and Leeds Playhouse before concluding its run at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate on 30th November 2024.
☆ ☆ ☆
