Clue: High School Edition Review

Clue: High School Edition - 4 out of 5 stars
Endeavour College 2026 Senior Drama Class
TICKETS: End of Season

Firstly, I need to start by saying that if you haven’t already watched this production then you are too late, as this was the finale performance of the Endeavour College 2026 Senior Drama Class’s season of Clue.

Deriving its roots from the classical boardgame (known in Australia as Cluedo) released in 1949, this stage production owes much of its script (written by Sandy Rustin) to the screenplay of the 1985 film of the same name by Jay Lynn. The premise is that six strangers gather at a secluded mansion, lured there at the request of their blackmailer. Their host presents them each a weapon and the option: pay him double or kill the butler! However, it is he that dies mysteriously and what follows is a frantic, comedic whodunnit, as they seek to puzzle out the culprit before time runs out.

The audience was invited upon their arrival into a crime scene, complete with body outline on the floor, and this combined with the Pink Panther Theme playing in the background, was most appropriate for the frivolities that were soon to unfold.

As the world continues to mourn the recent passing of Tim Curry a little over 2 weeks ago, viewing a performance of one of his more memorable roles certainly felt like the perfect remedy. His input was acknowledged prior to the performance via the screening of a short video documenting his key roles and personal approach towards life and death. 

Combining this event with a change of teacher earlier in the year and a recent death within the family of one of the cast, the students have displayed remarkable resilience to prepare and present this production to the high standard that they have.

Staging a production of this nature is always challenging, especially with the myriad of different rooms that the characters need to traverse. Director Joshua Haynes, Kathy Chen and “The Maintenance Team” (Liam Pratt, Zac Semmler, Nathan Barden and Mark Adeo) have negotiated this with aplomb, designing a varied range of portable door frames and other set pieces to mould the set to suit their needs. Likewise, the costumes were well suited to each character and combined with the effective make-up helped the cast to transform into their respective roles.

Lighting (Blake Eckert) and Sound (Greyson Young) were managed smoothly, with only the occasional feedback marring an otherwise fine pairing of sound and light. The many blackouts were managed professionally and aided the quick set changes well. However, the use of lighting to simulate the falling chandelier was confusing to those unfamiliar with the show, as despite being referenced to later in the script, it wasn’t clear what it represented at the time.  

Between the original movie and the recent touring performance of Cluedo earlier this year, the young cast had a lot of material to draw inspiration from, and they didn’t disappoint. The small cast of 10 each portraying their characters with depth and realism.

Eliska Wirth (Yvette) portrayed the innocent Maid with a convincing range of expressions, modulating their voice well to suit the moment.

Likewise, Madelyn Goss (Mrs. Peacock) developed her character quickly and maintained both the vocal and physical form required to carry this convincingly throughout the performance.

Charlotte Mudge (Miss Scarlett) brought her own interpretation to the role, which combined well with the performances around her. 

In the same way, Monique Beattie (Professor Plum) was able to create a convincing vocal characterisation and maintained strong facial variation to express the range of emotive outbursts that her character exhibited.

William Altmann (Colonel Mustard) displayed a great sense of comedic timing, delivering both his visual and verbal cues effectively.

Flynn Hutchinson (Mr Green) expertly walked the tightrope of managing the appropriate level of anxiety and physical comedy for his “accident prone” character, delivering his lines clearly and confidently.

The title of Chief multi-tasker must go to Tatum Williams for holding down 3 roles (Mr. Boddy, Cop and Chief of Police), whilst understudying another and still finding time to choreograph the movement routines. The movements whilst the house was being searched both enabled smooth transitions from one scene to the next and managed to maintain the relationships between the paired characters to perfection.

In a similar vein, Lucy Harding (Cook, Motorist and Singing Telegram Girl) was able to create distinctly unique characters and bring a new perspective to each role.

It would be remiss not to highlight the long monologues delivered by Wadsworth (Paige Emery) and Mr Green (Flynn Hutchinson), which were delivered flawlessly with clear diction and without hesitation.

The two Drama Leaders, Paige Emery (Wadsworth) and Samantha Perryman (Mrs White) both brought a depth of experience to their characters. Paige’s performance provided a strong central character for the other cast to connect to, effortlessly delivering her many lines confidently.

In a corresponding manner, Samantha’s performance in many ways reflected that of Madeline Kahn (the original actress to play the role of Mrs. White in the 1985 movie), as she negotiated the subtle emotive nature of the role. Her management of the FOH, program and other logistics was also instrumental in creating an authentic experience for the audience.

Their role in supporting the cast and crew through the challenges that were faced was most evident in the praise that they received post-performance from their peers.

In conclusion, Director Joshua Haynes should be proud of how the cast have worked well together to create an ensemble of characters that were evenly matched in both expression and believability. This performance will certainly remain long in the memories of those who were fortunate enough to have experienced it.

- Brendan Watts