To paraphrase an old theatre adage: Murder is easy, it’s Comedy that’s hard. No phrase better summarizes the amazing lengths that the young cast and crew of Clue have gone to present this hilarious, frantic, tongue-in-cheek murder mystery to you tonight.
Any actor will tell you that playing a tragic death scene can actually be exceptionally restful, because at least you get to close your eyes at the end. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, as Hamlet finds his quietus and flights of angels sing him to his rest, it is the comedians who are sweating in the wings knowing that they must go on to elicit that beautiful, authentic, and rare human response: laughter. Any comedian will tell you that performing comedy can be torture: will they laugh at this line? Should I say it like this? Will the laugh come at the end of the line or in the middle tonight?
Thankfully, at Saints Drama, we are blessed to have such talented students with a diverse set of skills who attend both St. Augustine and the Academy of Our Lady of Peace. They consistently love and support one another as they work as a team toward that ultimate goal of hearing the raucous laughter of a full theater.
Clue is truly an ensemble play, as our main suspects almost never leave the stage, even the backstage crew gets in a few punchlines, and the recently deceased characters provide jokes from beyond the grave. A precise and demanding comedy like Clue would be a challenge for any professional theatre company. I feel so completely blessed to have the young professionals in my cast and crew willing to dedicate so much of themselves to the challenge that is Comedy.
We here at the Saints Drama Department sincerely hope you enjoy tonight’s show, and don’t worry too much about finding the murderer and unraveling the twists of the game…we’re still trying to work it out ourselves.
With gratitude,
Travis Blumer,
Director of Theatre,
St. Augustine High School
