Case Closed: “Clue: High School Edition” Is a Hit

The mystery begins on a spooky, stormy night in 1954, when six dinner party guests — Miss Scarlet (Raven Jarvis ’27),  Colonel Mustard (Gemma Gilmartin ’27), Professor Plum (Ash Davis ’29), Mrs. White (Lila Seltzer ’29), Mr. Green (Vincent Von Jan ’27) and Mrs. Peacock (Julia Panos ’27) — arrive at Boddy Manor where mystery, suspense and hilarity ensue. Their guide, the butler Wadsworth (Oisín Scully ’27), leads the group through a series of twists and turns as they attempt to solve a murder.

Seltzer embraced the challenge of portraying the cynical and somber Mrs. White: “I absolutely loved playing her because she is so exaggerated as a black widow, and there is so much material to work with. Additionally, I love playing comedy/drama roles.”

Matt Maguire ’29 put everything into the role of the oblivious Motorist. “Throughout the entire process, I was surrounded by spectacular actors who slipped into characters and comedy seamlessly,” Maguire said. “It was intimidating at first; wanting to prove to others (and to myself, to be honest) that I could pull as much attention as them on stage. Over time, I was able to settle a bit and be okay with sitting back and learning from them. And once I did that, I learned so much.”

The production’s multi-room layout, secret passageways and prop changes contributed to the excitement for stage manager Jiwoo Won ’28.

“I took notes on all the props and scenes that the assistant stage managers needed to move during the play, and cued them during the show, and I made sure the actors backstage were ready and organized,” Won said. “For projection operations, I had all the images cued up on the app called Qlab, and made sure the right projections were playing throughout the show.”

Whether onstage or behind the scenes, the cast and crew shared a strong sense of camaraderie and a mutual love of theater. 

Won shared, “I started working as a tech crew student because I love watching performances, and I love that I get to see the actors perform the show over and over again, getting better and better each time. The community bond is also a big thing, too.”

Maguire agreed, “The cast is small, so it really felt like we all got to know each other. I was able to make friends with people I would have been terrified to talk to otherwise; and I always felt so happy when I'd have rehearsal, despite the long nights and difficult scenes. Through everything, we were a team.”

Director and upper school theater teacher Beth Manspeizer could not have been prouder of the students who made up the cast and crew, describing the experience of bringing the world of Clue to life as “a wonderful, joyful process.” 

"Clue: High School Edition” is based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn; written by Sandy Rustin; additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price. Based on the Paramount Pictures Motion Picture and the Hasbro board game.

Congratulations to the cast and crew! 

Cast
Wadsworth: Oisín Scully ’27
Yvette: Margot Bedingfield ’28
Miss Scarlet: Raven Jarvis ’27
Mr. Green: Vincent Von Jan ’27
Colonel Mustard: Gemma Gilmartin ’27
Professor Plum: Ash Davis ’29
Mrs. Peacock: Julia Panos ’27
Mrs. White: Lila Seltzer ’29
The Cook: Laura Peralta ’27
Mr. Boddy: Jesse Ostrom ’27
Chief of Police: Jay Klainbard ’27
The Cops: Rex Wallach ’28, Giulio Cancelmi ’29, Declan Foley ’29
The Motorist: Matt Maguire ’29
Singing Telegram Girl: Sophie Barreno ’30
Newscaster: Nora Warren ’28
Boddy Manor Staff & Police: Addison Takefman ’28, Avi Kinon ’29, Lucy Stewart ’30, Adeola Gideon ’29, Nora Warren ’28, Sophie Barreno ’30

Crew
Sabrina Serota ’27
Clara Brooks ’29
Alex Menell ’30
Finn Roy ’30
Angel Zou ’29
Jiwoo Won ’28