Mark Bell

Cluedo 2

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Reviewed by Matt Forrest

Opening Night verdict ⭐⭐⭐

Following the huge success of Cluedo (stage play), writers Maurice Gran and Laurence Marks have followed it up with the rather aptly named Cluedo 2, which hopefully will contain more mayhem, more murders, as well as some laughs.

This time around the action takes place in the ‘Swinging Sixties’, at the country estate of fading rockstar, Rick Black (Liam Horrigan), as he is about to offer an exclusive first airing of his latest album. In attendance are Black’s shady American manager Colonel Mustard (Jason Durr), Black’s wife, the scheming socialite Mrs Peacock (Hannah Boyce) and Black’s friend and tech expert, Professor Plumb (Edward Howells).

In addition, there is the seemingly ever-present housekeeper, Mrs White (Dawn Buckland) and interior designer, Miss Scarlett, (Ellie Leach), who has been brought in to give the crumbling manor house a bit of a makeover. Later they are joined by Wadsworth (Jack Bennett), a jobbing actor typecast as a butler, and finally the Reverend Green (Gabriel Paul), a friend and musical collaborator of Rick Black.

As more guests arrive, the body count increases, and soon everybody becomes a suspect. Everyone has a motive, and everyone has the means, but will they all survive long enough to catch the killer?

Cluedo 2, is very much a mixed bag, it does a great job of introducing all the familiar tropes associated with the boardgame: each of the characters are given a fresh take, subverting expectation, but still present are the classic murder weapons and rooms within the manor house.

Writers Gran and Mark’s script is fun throughout but doesn’t always deliver the big laughs that it needs. There are no wasted lines, and every bit of dialogue could be a clue, so be sure to pay attention! I expected more bite from the team behind one of my favourite sitcoms, The New Statesman. Director Mark Bell, arguably best known for directing The Play That Goes Wrong has tried to incorporate what worked so well on the Mischief Theatre smash hit into Cluedo 2, with again, mixed results: there are elements of farce, quick gags, and physical comedy which work well, you just wish there was more of it.

What this production does have is several strong performances. Dawn Buckland steals nearly every scene as the no nonsense Mrs White, she has the lion’s share of the best lines, and she delivers them with exceptional comic timing. Equally impressive is Jack Bennett as the former butler-turned actor, now playing a butler, Wadsworth. It’s a great comedic turn full of energy, which demands your attention throughout.

There are strong performances from Liam Horrigan as Rick Black as well as several other characters (no spoilers) who fully invest into the silliness you expect from the show. Hannah Boyce is in fine form as the mean, selfish Mrs Peacock.

The big draws for the productions are former Heartbeat star Jason Durr, who goes OTT as the big Texas music manager Colonel Mustard; it’s a performance as absurd as it is enjoyable. Whilst former Coronation Street and 2023 Strictly Come Dancing winner, Ellie Leach makes a fine stage debut as Miss Scarlett.

Whilst never hitting the big laughs, there are enough gags and comedic set-pieces to keep you entertained for the two-hour running time, and despite a slow start, the pace quickens as soon as the body count rises, leading to a suitably absurd and thoroughly satisfying conclusion.

Cluedo 2 is at the Lowry till 6th April. Tickets available here.

The Play That Goes Wrong

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Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reviewer: Matt Forrest

With the World Cup in full swing, the whole nation seems to have gone football crazy: we’ve seen great goals, controversial refereeing decisions and some calamitous howlers, however not even the biggest goal keeping blunder would compare to the chaos that goes into The Play That Goes Wrong.

Now in its sixth year, this Tony award-winner sees the plucky but flawed local Am-dram group ‘The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’ stage a classic ‘whodunit’, with their production of Murder at Haversham Manor. However the production is blighted from the outset: there is a missing dog, a misplaced Duran Duran CD, and a faulty shelf hampering proceedings and all this before the house lights have gone down and the show has begun.

Chris Bean (Jake Curran) the stressed director head of the drama society, and lead role of Inspector Carter, welcomes us to the show and informs us of some of the society’s less successful productions which include James and his Peach, and The Lion and the Wardrobe. It’s the perfect setup to introduce a hilarious evening of mirth and mayhem.

Along the way we are introduced to the various society players which include Max Bennett, who plays Cecil Haversham, (Bobby Hirston) a first time performer milking his role for all it’s worth, Sandra Wilkinson as Florence Colleymoore (Elena Valentine) somewhat over-egging her part in a desperate bid to steal the show, and Dennis Tyde as Perkins (Benjamin McMahon) clearly nervous and not very good at learning his lines. In addition they are supported by the technical crew of Trevor (Gabriel Paul) and Annie (Catherine Dryden) who try to fight the flames of disaster (quite literally) and will play bigger roles then either would have envisaged.

As the action continues we see the play go from one catastrophe to another, taking a mental and physical toll on all the cast and crew, just thankful it’s over and that they all survived… even if not entirely in one piece.

This is the third time I’ve watched this production within the last year and I’m not ashamed to say I love it. It seems to get better and better with every viewing; you notice things you missed the first time and second time around as a result of laughing so much. Director Mark Bell has crafted a night of pure unadulterated fun and frolics. The production pokes fun at the self-important, pompous world of amateur dramatics, with a biting, scathing pitch perfect script by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields.

The cast certainly put in a shift, with an endless barrage of slapstick and physical comedy very much in the tradition of Laurel and Hardy or Michael Crawford from classic BBC sitcom Some Mother’s Do Have ‘em.

All of the cast do exceptionally well but the stand out performance goes to David Kristopher-Brown, as Robert and Thomas Colleymoore, whose performance at one point had audience members howling with laughter, with a little a hint of fear for the actors safety, made all the more impressive by the fact that Brown is the understudy for this touring production, and certainly highlights the depth of quality this production company has at its disposal. In addition, Steven Rostance as Jonathan, and Charles Haversham who plays the least convincing dead body you are likely to see and really should change his name to Lazarus!

There are a few minor issues: at times there is so much going on that it is hard to keep track of the action. In addition, because of all the turmoil, some of the dialogue is lost and hard to hear adding to the chaos and confusion

Overall this fantastically fun night at the theatre that will leave you grinning from ear-to-ear, and aching sides to boot. At the close of the show the cast let us know that their next production: The Comedy About a Bank Robbery will be going to the Lowry in September: hopefully I’ll have recovered from this performance by the time that comes around!

They Play That Goes Wrong is on at the Manchester Opera House till 30th June tickets available here.

The Play That Goes Wrong

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Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Reviewed by Matt Forrest

We’ve all had one of those days where nothing seems to go right for you: be it losing your car keys or locking yourself out of the house, or even that accidental fall when walking down a busy a street. You may want to go back to bed but soldier on you must. Well imagine your worst day multiply it by 100 add 50 and you’re not even close to the nightmare faced by the cast of The Play That Goes Wrong Now in its sixth year this Tony award winner sees the plucky but flawed local am-dram group ‘The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’ stage a classic ‘Cluedo’ style murder mystery. The production of Murder at Haversham Manor doesn’t get off to a great start with a missing dog, Duran Duran CD, and a faulty shelf hampering proceedings, and all this before the play even gets started!

Chris Bean (Jake Curran) the stressed director/head of the drama society, and lead role of inspector Carter welcome us to shows and informs us of some of the societies less successful endeavours, it provides the perfect set up for what promises to be a highly entertaining evening. Along the way we are introduced to the various society players which include Max Bennett, who plays Cecil Haversham, (Bobby Hirston) a first time performer milking his role for all it’s worth, Sandra Wilkinson as Florence Colleymoore (Elena Valentine) somewhat over egging her part in a desperate bid to steal the show, and Dennis Tyde as Perkins (Benjamin McMahon) clearly nervous and not very good at learning his lines. In addition they are supported by the technical crew of Trevor (Gabriel Paul) and Annie (Catherine Dryden) who try to fight the flames of disaster (quite literally) and with bigger roles then either would have envisaged. As the action continues we see the play go from one hilarious catastrophe to another, taking a mental and physical toll on all the cast and crew, just thankful it’s over and that they survived.

This is comedic theatre at it’s finest; director Mark Bell has crafted a night of pure unadulterated fun that I could watch over and over again. The cast work their socks off, with an endless barrage of slapstick and physical comedy very much in the tradition of Laurel and Hardy, or Buster Keaton, all of the cast do exceptionally well but the stand out performance goes to Kazeem Tosin Amore, as Robert and Thomas Colleymoore, whose performance at one point had audience members howling with laughter with a little a hint of fear for the actors safety. In addition Steven Rostance as Jonathan and Charles Haversham who plays the least convincing dead body you are likely to see.

The writing of Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields is bang on point firmly taking a swipe at the pompous nature of the theatre, there are moments when the action is so cringe worthy that you just want the play to stop so the cast can be put out of the misery, which is of course exactly the point of it all.

My only complaint (and this is being picky) is that show’s finale is a little over chaotic and needs to be reined in slightly as there genuinely is so much going that you become lost in the chaos so that the grand finale loses a little something, it may be hard to believe but less certainly could be more in this case.

Overall this fantastically fun night at the theatre that will leave you grinning from ear-to-ear with aching sides to boot. Be warned though if you are a vegan or vegetarian you may see more HAM then you could ever have thought possible!

They Play That Goes Wrong is on at the StoryHouse Chester till February 3rd tickets available here.