Cluedo 2 – The Lowry, Salford

Writers: Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran

Director: Mark Bell

If only the creator of board game Cluedo had known its worth – Anthony Pratt unfortunately didn’t make his millions from his own creation, after handing over the rights to Waddingtons for £5,000, plus a royalty of UK sales. And yet, not only has the whodunnit game, with its 324 combinations of characters, locations and weapons, sold well over 200million games, it has also seen multiple adaptations for film, television, comic books, computer games and much more. As it celebrates its 75th birthday, it has inspired a stage production – Cluedo 2 – that brings the board game to life with a fast-paced and hilarious production that sees multiple deaths and suspects in the Manor House and leaves you guessing until the very end.

It goes without saying that the ending will remain a mystery – much like other productions of the same ilk, (The Mousetrap, for example), it is important that audiences keep tight-lipped so as to not ruin it for other theatregoers. But what can be told is that the play centres around the initial murder of rock star and wannabe television performer Rick Black (Liam Horrigan) and the motives of the famous characters from the 1949 game. You meet Miss Scarlett (played by Strictly Come Dancing winner and Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach), Colonel Mustard (Jason Durr), Mrs Peacock (Hannah Boyce), Mrs White (Dawn Buckland), Professor Plum (Edward Howells) and Reverend Green (Gabriel Paul), as well as Wadsworth (Jack Bennett) – although maybe not as you imagine them, with the location of the play being set in England in the Swinging Sixties. Bonkers, but it works.

The writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran are no strangers to the writing scene, having worked successfully in the world of television and theatre since the 80s. They’ve bagged themselves awards and a whole host of hits, including Dreamboats and Petticoats and Birds of a Feather. Match that with Director Mark Bell, best known for his direction of Olivier Award winning The Play That Goes Wrong and you’re onto a winner. The cast have a brilliant script to work with and paired with Bell’s farcical touches (the peeking round the curtains, the extravagant gasps and screams, the puppetry of the dead bodies) it really does make for a highly entertaining and laugh-out-loud night out.

And while the cast all deliver (especially Buckland – she really is bob on with her comic timing), it is the staging of the production that really steals the show. From the backdrop of the infamous board game floor-plan that lights up to show the location of the scene, to the way you are taken from room to room with transportable props and clever movement, the game really is brought to life in an imaginative and highly creative way. Shout outs to Designer David Farley, Lighting Designer Jason Taylor, Sound Designer Jon Fiber and Movement Director Anna Healey, who really are the dream team.

With a running time of two hours, including interval, its a comfortable length, meaning it never feels like the play is dragging or that you are clock-watching for the show to wrap up. The actors have all found a strong rapport and are slick with the many quick scene changes and fast-paced dialogue they need to deliver. And there’s also some really clever and contemporary touches to show the production is ready for evolvement, such as Leach leading the way in the ballroom scene. If you don’t have a clue what to do in the coming days, then definitely consider a trip to The Lowry for a chance to play a game of whodunnit from the comfort of the auditorium.

Runs until 6 April 2024.