Get a ‘Clue’ and a view at Allenberry Playhouse
by Celeste H. Breitenbach
news@timesheraldnews.com
A longtime favorite board game springs to life as Allenberry Playhouse presents “CLUE the Musical” through June 17 at the Allenberry Resort on the Yellow Breeches in Boiling Springs, Pa.
All the familiar suspects – Mrs. Peacock, Prof. Plum, Miss Scarlet, Col. Mustard, Mrs. White and Mr. Green – are there before and after Mr. Boddy’s body is discovered.
Was Mr. Boddy (suavely portrayed by Matt Beyer) done in with a knife, candlestick, revolver, rope, lead pipe or wrench?
Did the dastardly deed take place in the kitchen, ballroom, billiard room, lounge, study or conservatory?
Each of the suspects has ample reasons to dispose of Mr. Boddy and they are delightful in offering their grounds.
The Detective, played with a down-to-business yet coy manner by Michelle Ouellette, quickly sifts through the 216 possible solutions.
The audience has been invited to play along by noting clues and conclusions on preprinted forms included in the program.
Three members of the audience, chosen beforehand, go onstage and select cards determining who dunnit, with what weapon, in which room. These are revealed at the end and the players act out the solution. A hearty applause for a job well done.
Managing Artistic Director Claude A. Giroux’s superb skills show in honing the actors. The game is further enhanced by Costume Designer Whitney Locher’s work in dressing each character so appropriately – even down to the color of the shoes.
“Clue the Musical” is a show with a twist and a surprising O. Henry-like ending. It’s light, fun, enjoyable summer theatre.
Come early; Stay late
A little more than 90-minute drive from Baltimore, a visit to Allenberry is a mini-vacation in itself. Arrive early, stay late. Enjoy the lovely peaceful, pastoral grounds owned in the 1700s by an uncle of Davy Crockett. Some of the stone buildings now nestled among 100-year-old pine trees on the 57-acres date to his time.
Stroll down to the gently flowing picturesque Yellow Breeches Creek, which has a national reputation for its fly fishing.
The creek got its name long before the American Revolution from British soldiers whose white breeches came out yellow when they washed them in its waters.
Enjoy a la carte dining in The Players Club or a bountiful buffet in Fairfield Hall, a former stone barn built in 1785.
For those who stay over in one of the several lodges at Allenberry, four Har-Tru tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool and other facilities are available. Several getaway packages are offered.
For complete information or reservations, go to www.Allenberry.com or call 800-430-5468.
A view of Yellow Breeches Creek in Boiling Springs, Pa.
Photo by Celeste H. Breitenbach