Review: ‘Clue' at the CIBC Theatre hasn't much of one
Clue, or Cluedo in the country of its birth, is one of the best board games of all time. Colonel Mustard, Mrs. Peacock and Professor Plum have been brandishing their candlesticks, lead piping and other lethal weapons since the late 1940s. That's when a British chap named Anthony Ernest Pratt rightly figured there would be demand for a whodunnit parlor distraction that took its cue from the popular, contemporaneous murder-mystery novels by the likes of Agatha Christie.
Especially once Hasbro took over the game from Parker Brothers, Clue became a brand ripe for licensable extension. There's been a movie, a TV show, retro and spinoff games and even a live musical, which I remember seeing in Chicago in the mid-1990s. It's not a happy memory.
The touring show currently at the CIBC Theater is a newish, non-musical live adaptation credited to Sandy Ruskin that dates back to 2017, and hews relatively closely to the screenplay for Jonathan Lynn's 1985 movie. Turning a board game with multiple possible outcomes (murderer, weapon, location) into a dramatic entertainment requires some work, of course, and frankly, I've seen far more structurally adventurous murder-mysteries: 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' being one.
'Clue' is set in 1954 amid the rise of McCarthyism. It does not involve the audience in its decision trees, nor is it a particularly tense kind of suspenseful. In essence, you are buying a murder-mystery slapstick farce more akin to Tom Stoppard's 'The Real Inspector Hound,' or 'The Play That Goes Wrong,' although both of those titles are far smarter and funnier.
Detective mysteries remain popular, whether Scandinavian noir or 'Only Murders in the Building.' I hold no animosity for the genre, which got me through the pandemic. I just don't think this particular show is especially exciting when it comes to detecting. 'Clue' was a way to brand the show, of course, but I'd rather see something more original. And truthful. And mysterious.
You do get a bunch of skilled character actors enjoying themselves and camping it up in the period setting. There is a certain escapist sense of fun in the building. Some of the physical comedy, especially a falling chandelier, has its yuks. A few one-liners land. And John Shartzer, who plays Mr. Green, has some inspired shtick.
The thing certainly clips along like everyone is worried about catching the last train home: it clocks in at just one hour and 20 minutes, which was more than enough for me.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com
When: Through March 2
Where: CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.
Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
5 hours ago
- Business Insider
Aaron Taylor-Johnson leads '28 Years Later.' Here's where you might recognize the rest of the cast from.
"28 Years Later" is the long-gestating sequel to Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later." Aaron Taylor-Johnson leads the film alongside newcomer Alfie Williams. Here's where you might recognize the rest of the cast from. " 28 Years Later" brings the terrifying Rage virus back to the big screen as director Danny Boyle returns to examine postapocalyptic Britain once more. It's the third film in the franchise following 2007's "28 Weeks Later" and is released on June 20. It picks up decades after the initial outbreak turned the British population into bloodthirsty, sprinting zombies. "28 Years Later" revolves around the inhabitants of Lindisfarne, an island off the coast of Northumberland. The tide cuts Lindisfarne off from the mainland most of the time, keeping it safe from the infected. Things get bloody when Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is tasked with taking his son Spike, played by newcomer Alfie Williams, to the world beyond the island. While Boyle has recruited some talented actors for "28 Years Later," Cillian Murphy won't return to the franchise just yet. Here's where you've seen the main cast before. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is known for movies like "Kick-Ass," "Kraven the Hunter," and "Nosferatu." Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Jamie in "28 Years Later," and he takes his son onto the mainland, where they come face-to-face with the infected. The actor previously starred in the " Kick-Ass" movies, and played superhero Quicksilver in "Avengers: Age of Ultron." He also appeared in the 2014 "Godzilla" reboot and had a supporting role in Christopher Nolan's "Tenet." Last year he led Sony's " Kraven the Hunter" movie as the titular Marvel villain, before getting his first brush with the horror genre in " Nosferatu." Jodie Comer made her name in British dramas like "Doctor Foster" and recently starred in movies like "Free Guy" and "The Bikeriders." Jodie Comer plays Jamie's wife Isla (and Spike's mother) in "28 Years Later." Comer started her career by starring in buzzy British dramas like "My Mad Fat Diary," "Doctor Foster," and "Killing Eve." She made the jump to Hollywood in the last five years, and worked with Ryan Reynolds on "Free Guy," and starred opposite Ben Affleck and Adam Driver in Ridley Scott's "The Last Duel." Ralph Fiennes played Voldemort in "Harry Potter" and led 2024's "Conclave." Ralph Fiennes plays the mysterious Dr Ian Kelson in "28 Years later." The actor is one of the most famous British stars of the past 30 years, following Oscar-nominated performances in films such as "Schindler's List," "The English Patient," and 2024's "Conclave." He may be best known for playing Voldemort in the "Harry Potter" franchise, and the new M in Daniel Craig's " James Bond" movies. Jack O'Connell started out in "Skins" but recently appeared in "Back to Black" and "Sinners." Jack O'Connell plays Sir Jimmy Crystal in "28 Years Later," but the details of his role are being kept secret and out of the film's marketing material. He rose to fame thanks to his role as Cook in the teen drama, "Skins," before starring in critically acclaimed British movies and shows including "This Is England," "Eden Lake," and "'71." He later appeared in Netflix's "Lady Chatterley's Lover" opposite Emma Corrin, and played Amy Winehouse's husband, Blake Felder-Civil, in "Back to Black." In 2024, O'Connell portrayed the vampire villain, Remmick, in Ryan Coogler's " Sinners." Erin Kellyman starred in "Solo: A Star Wars Story" and "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier" before "28 Years Later." Erin Kellyman plays Jimmy Ink in "28 Years Later," but her role has been kept out of the marketing for the film. She also got her start in British TV thanks to shows like "Raised By Wolves" and the "Les Misérables" miniseries. She started to get more attention after her brief role as rebel pirate Enfys Nest in " Solo: A Star Wars Story," which led to her playing villain Karli Morgenthau in the Marvel series, " The Falcon and The Winter Soldier."
5 hours ago
David Attenborough's 'Ocean' is a brutal, beautiful wakeup call from the sea
NICE, France -- An ominous chain unspools through the water. Then comes chaos. A churning cloud of mud erupts as a net plows the seafloor, wrenching rays, fish and a squid from their home in a violent swirl of destruction. This is industrial bottom trawling. It's not CGI. It's real. And it's legal. 'Ocean With David Attenborough' is a brutal reminder of how little we see and how much is at stake. The film is both a sweeping celebration of marine life and a stark exposé of the forces pushing the ocean toward collapse. The British naturalist and broadcaster, now 99, anchors the film with a deeply personal reflection: 'After living for nearly a hundred years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.' The film traces Attenborough's lifetime — an era of unprecedented ocean discovery — through the lush beauty of coral reefs, kelp forests and deep-sea wanderers, captured in breathtaking, revelatory ways. But this is not the Attenborough film we grew up with. As the environment unravels, so too has the tone of his storytelling. 'Ocean' is more urgent, more unflinching. Never-before-seen footage of mass coral bleaching, dwindling fish stocks and industrial-scale exploitation reveals just how vulnerable the sea has become. The film's power lies not only in what it shows, but in how rarely such destruction is witnessed. 'I think we've got to the point where we've changed so much of the natural world that it's almost remiss if you don't show it,' co-director Colin Butfield said. 'Nobody's ever professionally filmed bottom trawling before. And yet it's happening practically everywhere.' The practice is not only legal, he adds, but often subsidized. 'For too long, everything in the ocean has been invisible,' Butfield said. 'Most people picture fishing as small boats heading out from a local harbor. They're not picturing factories at sea scraping the seabed.' In one harrowing scene, mounds of unwanted catch are dumped back into the sea already dead. About 10 million tons (9 million metrics tonnes) of marine life are caught and discarded each year as bycatch. In some bottom trawl fisheries, discards make up more than half the haul. Still, 'Ocean' is no eulogy. Its final act offers a stirring glimpse of what recovery can look like: kelp forests rebounding under protection, vast marine reserves teeming with life and the world's largest albatross colony thriving in Hawaii's Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. These aren't fantasies; they're evidence of what the ocean can become again, if given the chance. Timed to World Oceans Day and the U.N. Ocean Conference in Nice, the film arrives amid a growing global push to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 — a goal endorsed by more than 190 countries. But today, just 2.7% of the ocean is effectively protected from harmful industrial activity. The film's message is clear: The laws of today are failing the seas. So-called 'protected' areas often aren't. And banning destructive practices like bottom trawling is not just feasible — it's imperative. As always, Attenborough is a voice of moral clarity. 'This could be the moment of change,' he says. 'Ocean' gives us the reason to believe — and the evidence to demand — that it must be. 'Ocean' premieres Saturday on National Geographic in the U.S. and streams globally on Disney+ and Hulu beginning Sunday.
San Francisco Chronicle
8 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
David Attenborough's 'Ocean' is a brutal, beautiful wakeup call from the sea
NICE, France (AP) — An ominous chain unspools through the water. Then comes chaos. A churning cloud of mud erupts as a net plows the seafloor, wrenching rays, fish and a squid from their home in a violent swirl of destruction. This is industrial bottom trawling. It's not CGI. It's real. And it's legal. 'Ocean With David Attenborough' is a brutal reminder of how little we see and how much is at stake. The film is both a sweeping celebration of marine life and a stark exposé of the forces pushing the ocean toward collapse. The British naturalist and broadcaster, now 99, anchors the film with a deeply personal reflection: 'After living for nearly a hundred years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.' The film traces Attenborough's lifetime — an era of unprecedented ocean discovery — through the lush beauty of coral reefs, kelp forests and deep-sea wanderers, captured in breathtaking, revelatory ways. But this is not the Attenborough film we grew up with. As the environment unravels, so too has the tone of his storytelling. 'Ocean' is more urgent, more unflinching. Never-before-seen footage of mass coral bleaching, dwindling fish stocks and industrial-scale exploitation reveals just how vulnerable the sea has become. The film's power lies not only in what it shows, but in how rarely such destruction is witnessed. 'I think we've got to the point where we've changed so much of the natural world that it's almost remiss if you don't show it,' co-director Colin Butfield said. 'Nobody's ever professionally filmed bottom trawling before. And yet it's happening practically everywhere.' The practice is not only legal, he adds, but often subsidized. 'For too long, everything in the ocean has been invisible,' Butfield said. 'Most people picture fishing as small boats heading out from a local harbor. They're not picturing factories at sea scraping the seabed.' In one harrowing scene, mounds of unwanted catch are dumped back into the sea already dead. About 10 million tons (9 million metrics tonnes) of marine life are caught and discarded each year as bycatch. In some bottom trawl fisheries, discards make up more than half the haul. Still, 'Ocean' is no eulogy. Its final act offers a stirring glimpse of what recovery can look like: kelp forests rebounding under protection, vast marine reserves teeming with life and the world's largest albatross colony thriving in Hawaii's Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. These aren't fantasies; they're evidence of what the ocean can become again, if given the chance. Timed to World Oceans Day and the U.N. Ocean Conference in Nice, the film arrives amid a growing global push to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 — a goal endorsed by more than 190 countries. But today, just 2.7% of the ocean is effectively protected from harmful industrial activity. The film's message is clear: The laws of today are failing the seas. So-called 'protected' areas often aren't. And banning destructive practices like bottom trawling is not just feasible — it's imperative. As always, Attenborough is a voice of moral clarity. 'This could be the moment of change,' he says. 'Ocean' gives us the reason to believe — and the evidence to demand — that it must be. ___
