Clue. A board game that since 1949, could be/is seen in family closets all over the world. And one, that I personally, largely dislike. I don’t enjoy playing it, I don’t enjoy seeing others play it, and I don’t enjoy the reboots of it that come out every few years. And no, I have not watched the original movie.

But on the other hand, the production that the Liberty High School put on? The play, (which was based on the game, which was based on the movie,) is a masterpiece. Having seen many of the Liberty Drama Program’s productions, this one is quite unlike any other.

The casting: perfect. The screaming: delightful. The murder: hilarious. The mystery: delivered perfectly. The acting: ALIVE. 

Having personally being friends with many people who were in the cast and who worked backstage, I was so proud of what I saw before me, opening night. Not having much to go off of, I truly did not know what to expect. And every guess that I made along the way was totally wrong. The only qualm I had, if I had to pick, was the fact that in-between set changes, the crew’s headset lights were easily in sight. But that has nothing to do with the grand and intricate scene changes, or the slow unveiling of the characters’ personalities. 

But the show wasn’t all smooth sailing behind the scenes. Due to many absences from sickness, there was always someone who was missing from the rehearsal. Many were anxious for opening night, not being fully sure what to expect.

Junior Brooke Huffman, who played Ms. Scarlett, wasn’t feeling the best on Tech Week. 

“I’ve been sick since Wednesday, so I wasn’t sure if I was gonna hold off- I’ve had like fever and chills (…) but I drank so much tea today, and I had a voice tonight! And oh my god, I was not expecting it to go that well.”

According to Junior Lizzie Kayser, Mrs. Peacock, “It was difficult, to say the least – probably today was the first day that everyone was on stage together, and some of the crew kids aren’t here.” But in the end, “it was really amazing to see it all come together and into fruition, because we’ve been working on this for so long. There are so many different elements of the show that we’ve never done before like costuming, set, and the content itself. Everyone just pulled it off.”

The production itself was under the direction of Alison Flitter and Madison Haynes, with stage management by Allison Burkett, assisted by Lilia Taylor. Haynes’ direction was a bittersweet experience, as she graduates this May. 

“(I feel) amazing; there were some bumps in the road, but I’m so proud of my crew and overall it just went really really well,” she said. When thinking about the show coming to a close, she only had nostalgic words to say. “I will cry. I’m just really glad that this is my last show with this group of amazing people, and I don’t think they’ll ever fully know how much they all mean to me.”

In addition, Wadsworth, the Butler, was elegantly portrayed by senior Dylan Taylor. In fact, this was his first-ever performance as an actor.

“I feel pretty good, considering that was my first show,” Taylor said, after the last curtain call. “Overall, It was one of the biggest learning experiences in my life- because obviously I had no idea how any of this works, and somehow it came together.”

Taylor’s acting was phenomenal, especially his decorum as a “butler” and being the leader of the group. There wasn’t a single moment that if you looked at Kayser, she wouldn’t be emoting. I could go on and on about the strengths these young actors portrayed on the stage.

After dissecting what I saw before me, I have come two conclusions: 1) I am amazed at the success of this show, and 2) maybe I’ll give Clue a try again sometime.

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