Whodunit? Notre Dame's production of 'Clue' is worth finding out

America’s favorite whodunit board game comes alive on stage this weekend at Notre Dame Regional High School.

Murder and a little mayhem thrown in is part of “Clue” and the Notre Dame production featuring Miss Scarlett, Mrs. Peacock, Mrs. White, Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum and Mr. Green in the madcap comedy. One of the guests is the murderer or maybe it’s the butler, maid or cook.

Don’t forget about the famous weapons which are on hand — the wrench, the candlestick, the lead pipe, a dagger, a revolver and the rope. Who did the deed, in which room with what weapon?

Audiences will have an opportunity to guess right down to the final twist as the Notre Dame production is Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Notre Dame King Hall. Curtain goes up at 7 p.m. for each performance. Tickets are $10 each but with COVID-19 protocols there is limited in-person seating.

“We just want everyone to have a good time,” said senior Aaron Deken, who plays Wadsworth the butler for Boddy Manor. “COVID stinks and we were not sure if this would really happen when we began rehearsing. I had to quarantine for two weeks during our practices and I have a lot of lines.”

All three nights of “Clue” will have in-person seating. Longtime Notre Dame director Cindy King said for the first time there will be a livestream of the play offered for $10 plus a $2.95 service fee. Tickets are available at www.notredamehighschool.org/clue/.

Notre Dame students had to wear regular masks as they rehearsed, King said, then switched to clear shields. Cast members not only had to learn lines and stage movements but perform wearing the clear shield masks.

“We’ve never livestreamed a play before because it’s a live event,” King said “We wanted to honor our normal audience during the pandemic. It’s been rough but the kids and staff involved have weathered the ups and downs of the experience.”

Junior Anna Schuchardt set her sights on the role of Mrs. Peacock after finding out the fall production was “Clue.” She said she watched the movie “Clue” and Schuchardt and Deken said they had played the board game.

“It was hard working with the masks. It’s harder to see our expression when we’re acting,” Schuchardt said.

The cast members do a good job of getting their facial expressions to shine through the face shields. Along with Deken and Schuchardt in the main cast are Samantha Gardner as Miss Scarlett, Lily Kay Pennington as Mrs. White, Nathan Karnes as Colonel Mustard, Benjamin Schumer as Mr. Green, Audrey Jaco as Yvette — the maid — and Stella Wright as Cook.

Other cast members are Michael Edwards as Mr. Boddy, Evan Missey as a motorist, Tristan Tucker as the unexpected cop, Andrew Jedlinski as an agent and Patrick Lutmer as an agent.

“It is fun because you get to be a different person,” Schuchardt said. “It’s a tighter group this year because we’ve had to deal with people leaving and coming back because of COVID. We’re also keeping each other safe.”

Deken, who has been in Notre Dame productions all four years, said entertainment opportunities were curtailed during the pandemic.

“It’s cool we can still make an entertainment opportunity happen right now,” Deken said. “We just want to make some people laugh while being safe.”

It’s a dark and stormy night and you’ve been invited to a very unusual dinner party. Dinner guests have secrets and the fun begins at Boddy Manor.