The Mystery Begins: 'Clue' Takes Center Stage At Port Chester HS

PORT CHESTER, NY — The great thing about "Clue" is you never know who the star is until the very end.

Is it Colonel Mustard with the lead pipe in the billiards room? Is it Miss Scarlet in the library with a wrench? Professor Plum with a pistol?

We'll never tell because guessing is half the fun.

Port Chester High School announced its fall production of "Clue" with three performances this week. Under the leadership of theater director Christina Baurle, the fast-paced, high-stakes murder-mystery comedy features a talented group of 16 students in the cast and 15 members in the crew.

Baurle said she selected the ensemble-based show to provide more actors with the opportunity to shine on stage in leading roles. In addition, the production requires the students to develop their character choices by vocally and physically embodying each character.

"It is something that is dark, but also comical, and right now in the world we need something that can make us laugh and escape for a bit," Baurle said. "'Clue' is that show. It is also a ton of fun to work on and provides a nice challenge for everyone involved."

Baurle praised both the cast and crew for their dedication to the process, getting ahead of schedule with their rehearsals, being focused and engaged in developing their characters, blocking scenes and reflecting.

"What I love about working on our plays is that we can get more creative with our set," she said. "We won’t have much more than a few rolling doors and furniture pieces for each room of Boddy Manor, so it is really about the actors' performances. The costumes will be color-coordinated just like the pawns in the original board game."

In addition to Baurle and producer Steph Darrow, the production was made possible due to several students who have taken on leadership roles, including assistant director Toni Ash and stage managers Nexayda Marin, Ashly Olmeda and Sophia Tellez.

"It has been very collaborative in nature, and everyone involved knows they can share their ideas for the betterment of our production," Baurle said.

Performances will take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, at 7 p.m., in the Port Chester High School auditorium. Tickets are $10 online and $12 at the door. Find more information about the production here.