Big Hearts Little Theatre Presents: CLUE

CLUE Comes to Ancaster This November

CLUE, the hilarious murder mystery based on the iconic board game and beloved 1985 film, is coming to the Voortman Theatre at Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre this November, presented by Hamilton's Big Hearts Little Theatre. With all the characters you remember, rapid-fire comedy, slamming doors, secret passageways and, of course, a candlestick, rope, revolver, wrench, lead pipe and knife, CLUE brings the wonderfully ridiculous world of Boddy Manor to life on stage.

If you grew up playing the game or can quote the movie by heart, this is your chance to step inside the mystery.

Everyone's a Suspect

On a dark and stormy night, six mysterious guests arrive at a secluded mansion for a dinner party hosted by the equally mysterious Mr. Boddy. They've never met. They've all been given aliases. And every one of them is hiding a secret.

Then someone turns up dead.

What follows is a frantic race through Boddy Manor as Wadsworth the butler attempts to piece together what happened — while the bodies keep piling up around him.

Was it Miss Scarlet in the library with the candlestick? Colonel Mustard in the study with the wrench? Mrs. Peacock with the revolver?

Based on the screenplay of the cult-classic 1985 film, Sandy Rustin's stage adaptation captures everything audiences love about CLUE: the eccentric characters, escalating absurdity, physical comedy, lightning-fast dialogue and delicious satisfaction of trying to solve the mystery before the characters do.

The original film brought together an extraordinary comic cast including Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Brennan, Michael McKean, Martin Mull and Lesley Ann Warren. Forty years later, its characters, one-liners and wonderfully chaotic murder mystery have made Clue an enduring favourite.

And on stage, the chaos gets even better.

Bringing Boddy Manor to Life

There is something uniquely fun about experiencing CLUE live.

Instead of watching characters race from the library to the study to the conservatory on a screen — or moving tiny plastic pieces around a game board — audiences get to watch the entire mansion come alive in front of them.

Director and Set Designer Michael Hannigan leads a talented local ensemble through this tightly choreographed comic mystery, where timing is everything. Doors open and close, characters appear where they shouldn't, bodies have an inconvenient habit of turning up, and the actors hurtle through Boddy Manor as the mystery becomes increasingly outrageous.

Hannigan is well known to Hamilton-area theatre audiences as an actor, director and theatre educator. A graduate of Sheridan College's Theatre program, he has worked professionally throughout Ontario and spent several seasons as an Artistic Associate at Hamilton's Tivoli and Citadel Theatres. His directing credits include Jesus Christ Superstar, Jekyll & Hyde, Deathtrap, Misery, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and To Kill a Mockingbird, among many others.

Producer and Choreographer Erin Newton brings more than 30 years of experience in theatre, dance and arts education to the production. Newton is the founder and Artistic Director of Big Hearts Little Theatre and spent more than two decades teaching the arts with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. Her background in theatre and choreography is particularly suited to CLUE, a show in which physical storytelling, movement, pace and comic timing are every bit as important as the dialogue.

Together with Stage Manager Tracy Hek and a cast of familiar and new faces from Hamilton's theatre community, the team is embracing what makes CLUE so much fun: great characters, committed comedy and controlled theatrical chaos.

The Little Theatre with the BIG HEART

Big Hearts Little Theatre is a Hamilton-based theatre and arts education company founded on a simple idea: excellent theatre and a positive, welcoming artistic community should go hand in hand.

Known as "the little theatre with the BIG HEART," the company brings together experienced artists, emerging performers and members of Hamilton's theatre community to create productions that are ambitious, collaborative and joyful to make and experience.

In recent seasons, Big Hearts Little Theatre has presented productions including Little Shop of Horrors, The Man From Earth and the original production Click Bush Train Bug, while continuing to expand its work in performance training, children's theatre, school arts programming and community-based arts experiences throughout Hamilton and the surrounding area.

The company is equally at home producing a beloved musical, an intimate thought-provoking play, an original work or a fast-paced comedy like CLUE. What connects each project is a commitment to strong storytelling, talented local artists and creating an environment where performers can do their best work.

For BHLT, CLUE is exactly the kind of theatre the company loves to create: an ensemble piece that gives talented performers the opportunity to play, take risks and build something together — while giving audiences a genuinely entertaining night at the theatre.

And this cast has a lot of fun in store.

Meet the Suspects

Martin Montgomery — Wadsworth

Claire Sears — Miss Scarlet

David MacKay — Colonel Mustard

Maria Hayes — Mrs. Peacock

Asad Faruqi — Professor Plum

Lina Giornofelice — Mrs. White

Adyn Hek — Mr. Green

Coryn Urquhart — Mr. Boddy

Alicia Moore — Yvette

Ashley Swerdon — The Cook

Geoffrey Kerman — The Cop

Sophia Kozub — The Singing Telegram Girl

Colton Hand — The Chief of Police / The Motorist (Alternate Performances)

Knox McKinney — The Chief of Police / The Motorist (Alternate Performances)

Production Team

Michael Hannigan — Director / Set Designer

Erin Newton — Producer / Choreographer

Tracy Hek — Stage Manager

Come Solve the Mystery

CLUE is for anyone who loves the original film, grew up with the board game, enjoys a great whodunit — or simply wants a night at the theatre that is genuinely funny.

Come to Boddy Manor. Meet the suspects. Watch the clues pile up along with the bodies.

And see if you can answer the question we've been asking for generations:

Who did it, where — and with what?

Learn more about Big Hearts Little Theatre at bigheartslittletheatre.ca and follow the company on Instagram at @bighearts.littletheatre .

Performances

Saturday, November 7 — 2:00 PM (doors 1:30 PM)

Saturday, November 7 — 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM)

Sunday, November 8 — 2:00 PM (doors 1:30 PM)

Sunday, November 8 — 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM)

Saturday, November 14 — 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM)

Sunday, November 15 — 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM)

The Voortman Studio Theatre is fully accessible, with parking behind Memorial and in nearby lots, and bar service on site. Each performance runs approximately 90 minutes. Tickets are available exclusively through our box office, online or at 905-304-3232.