Cluedo At The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton Review

Reviewed by Lisa

Growing up we used to play Cluedo as a family and I loved trying to work out ‘whodunnit’, where, and with which weapon. When I heard they had used this game as the base for a play, it immediately caught my attention and I couldn’t wait to see how they had managed to do this! We had great seats in the stalls at the Mayflower Theatre and I would recommend these seats for an excellent view of the stage. The seats were fairly comfortable with adequate leg room and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The play started with the butler explaining what was going to happen, as Miss Scarlett, Professor Plum, Mrs Peacock, Revered Green, Mrs. White and Colonel Mustard each arrived at an English country house for dinner after receiving mysterious invitations, but they don’t know who from or why… then the murders start happening and they (and us) are trying to work out who is committing them and how!

The butler was played by Jean-Luke Worrell, who was without a doubt my favourite character and actor in the performance, and overall I felt that the less well-known actors outshone the big name of Michelle Collins, who played Miss Scarlet. Jean-Luke was incredibly funny, with amazing facial expressions that more than supplemented his witty lines, and he held the show together, including changing the incredibly clever set around throughout the play. The story is set in an old manor house, and the main stage is set showing the main hallway, with the front door and 6 other doors leading to the different rooms of the Cluedo game. The set wall around each door could be pulled out to provide a mini-set for a room, which would then be returned before opening a different room, with characters coming in and out of the rooms as they moved around the house. Through the performance different people were being murdered and we were trying to work out who was responsible and how, but there were many twists and turns keeping us on the edge of our seats. There was a range of characters, with the not-so-French maid and Colonel Mustard also having some cracking lines, especially when the Colonel instinctively answered all the rhetorical questions!

The show was just under 2 hours long, including the interval, and the 2nd half was more entertaining, including when the policeman’s moustache fell off by mistake! The policeman and butler were on stage performing a scene at the time and improvised it into a joke, demonstrating their acting abilities excellently. They also cleverly brought it back in again later, making it even funnier! The atmosphere in the audience was definitely relaxed and up for some fun, and I would say the show was suitable for secondary age children upwards, but it is aimed more at adults. I would definitely recommend the venue and the show, although personally I feel the tickets are slightly overpriced. If you like plays and want a fun evening out with some crime solving in the mix though, then look no further!

Rating: 4/5

The show is on from 17 – 19 May 2022

Price of tickets between £20.50 – £39.50

Tickets can be booked by visiting www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/cluedo-2022/

Venue address: Mayflower Theatre, Commercial Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 1GE