Get a 'CLUE': Murder mystery comes to Popejoy Hall

Whodunit?

That is the question audiences will be asking up until the end of the murder mystery, “CLUE.”

The play is based on the popular 1985 Paramount Pictures movie that was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, “Clue.”

The performance has gotten a refresh thanks to Sandy Rustin, who wrote the stage adaption, which is currently on its first national tour. “CLUE” has several performances scheduled from Wednesday, Nov. 6, through Sunday, Nov. 10, at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico campus.

Get a 'CLUE': Murder mystery comes to Popejoy Hall

“The stage production is really a giant dose of nostalgia,” she explained. “It will give audiences all that they loved about the movie and all that they’ve loved about playing the board game, but it does it in a new experience, so that audience members can interact with the characters and the brand of ‘CLUE’ in a fresh and unique way.”

Rustin modernized the production without straying too far away from the original storyline that finds six mysterious guests at Boddy Manor pondering who the murderer is among them. The suspenseful yet comical production will have audiences laughing throughout the performance as they try to figure out whether it was Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife or Colonel Mustard in the library with a wrench or another guest with sinister intentions.

“The show actually still takes place in 1954, just like the film,” Rustin said. “It still is a period piece, but absolutely the mentality of the show has been brought into the year 2024. There absolutely are some fun references throughout that tie to modern times. But because it’s a stage adaptation, you get to experience the characters in a completely original way.”

Rustin was recruited to bring the production to life.

“There are some producers who acquired the rights to the board game and to the film in order to create a stage adaptation and then they set out to find a creative team to make that happen,” she explained. “They found me as a potential writer and essentially hired me to come on board and develop the show for the stage. And so that’s what I got to do, which was really awesome.”

Rustin has been part of the stage adaption since 2019. Its first regional production was in January 2020 at the Cleveland Playhouse until the pandemic shut it down.

“It took a couple of years before theaters opened back up and we were able to relaunch ourselves,” she said. “It’s been especially gratifying and satisfying to see how audiences have responded to the show post pandemic.”

Rustin added that the national tour is a reflection of her collaboration with friend and director, Casey Hushion.

“She and I have worked really closely together on this particular production,” Rustin said. “... I’m particularly close to this production.”

Rustin said she was “delighted” to be asked to be part of the “CLUE” creative team.

“I loved the board game, loved the movie, and of course, jumped at the opportunity to get to develop it for the stage,” she expressed.

Rustin had her share of stage time prior to writing professionally.

“I’ve been in this business about 20 years,” she said. “I was an actor for a long time first. And then, I have been writing professionally since 2012, so I have a whole bunch of productions.”

Most recently, Rustin had a play on Broadway called “The Cottage” that ran last summer. She continues to keep busy writing more productions.

“I have the upcoming adaptation of ‘Mystic Pizza,’ so that’s exciting,” she said. “I have a new play called ‘The Suffragettes Murder’ that’s going to premiere at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts this winter and a new musical called ‘Always Something There’ that’s going to premiere at the Marriott Lincolnshire in Chicago in the spring. And then I’m working on a bunch of new shows as well for next season.”