The leaves are turning red, the temperature is dropping, and pumpkin-flavored everything is back on the shelves; it appears that fall is here. As the season approaches, many of us love to curl up with a hot cider and our favorite fall media, whether it be Gilmore Girls, Scream, or, in some cases, Clue. 

Widely underrated, the 1985 murder-mystery classic involves six strangers gathering at an ominous mansion under mysterious circumstances on a dark and stormy night. When one of the guests ends up dead, however, and nobody’s alibi is quite clear, the house descends into madness as they scramble to find the perpetrator (and to spare themselves) before the police arrive. 

The film is based on the popular board game of the same name. Since the film’s release, Clue has gone on to see several more adaptations, including a mini-series and several novelizations. But this fall, the dark comedy is getting its very own husky spin. 

Because of the overwhelming interest in the play, it will feature a double-ensemble cast. This prevents the need for understudies, allows everyone to have a role, and creates two distinctive viewing experiences. Each actor plays their character differently, so audiences will be treated to something different each night. It’s also the first Flint Hill theater production to be headed up by the new director, Ms. McLoughlin. In addition to these new developments, the play is unique in other ways.

“We haven’t really done anything like this loose in my personal opinion; we usually veer towards like, typical dramas, or like Shakespeare… it’s very, like, animated. Like it’s not super serious and poised… It’s very, like, loose!” states senior Mariya Dempsey, recalling how the play is reminiscent of the film’s campy, over-the-top energy. “And that’s something really fun because you don’t have to be afraid to be silly because it is a comedy. So you can really just like, take your character to the extreme as if you were a cartoon.” Speaking of cartoonish, the set is rumored to be modeled after the board game itself, which will undoubtedly bring an element of fun to the performance. 

Dempsey, who will be playing Miss Scarlet, adds that despite attempts to emulate the film’s energy, the cast has actually been advised against watching. “It’s really easy to adapt to someone else, like in the way that they play a character, and not really figure it out for yourself… She [Ms. McLoughlin] thinks it’s important that we learn how to develop the characters on our own.” 

You can catch Dempsey’s performance, along with the rest of the cast, on Friday, October 28 at 7 pm and Saturday, October 29 at 2 pm. Tickets are free: they go live for parents on October 3rd, and are available for the general public on October 10th.