T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY The main cast of the BCLUW Drama Department’s upcoming production of “Clue” poses for a photo last week. Front row, from left to right, Olivia Rolston, Logan Scafferi and Leila Wedgwood. Back row, from left to right, Savannah Moeller, Cayden White, Sam Garber and Mason Martin. The show will be performed Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the high school auditorium.

CONRAD — The timeless board game “Clue,” first released in the 1940s, is widely known for its quirky cast of characters and its simple premise: solve a murder mystery at a large British country house using the powers of deduction. The 1985 comedic film adaptation, famous for its multiple endings and absurdist take on the game, flopped upon its initial release but has since become a cult classic.

The BCLUW Drama Department, under the direction of Comet alum Cole Scafferi, will bring that version of the story to the stage at the high school auditorium in Conrad this weekend with three performances. Scafferi, who is currently attending UNI, student teaching at GMG and directing his fifth production at BCLUW, said the show is “almost a carbon copy” with a few changes to make it more school appropriate.

“It’s nothing that we’ve really done before, being a murder mystery, and it’s something that a lot of community members are really excited about because everyone knows the movie,” he said. “I’ve got people saying ‘Oh, I’m really interested in coming’ who have never been to one of my shows before. So it’s kind of cool to see.”

Several of the main cast members — Olivia Rolston as Miss Scarlett, Leila Wedgwood as Mrs. White, Sam Garber as Colonel Mustard, Cayden White as Mr. Green, Zachary Morris as Mr. Wadsworth, Mason Martin as Mr. Body, Cole’s brother Logan Scafferi as Professor Plum and Savannah Moeller as Mrs. Peacock — had fun getting into character and leaning into the more outlandish sides of the people they’re portraying.

“I’d say it was pretty easy for me. I feel like I always play almost mean characters,” Wedgwood said. “I made her mean.”

Playing the iconic Colonel Mustard was a tall task for Garber, and he said he avoided watching the movie to make the character his own. About halfway through reading the script, however, it finally hit him that the honorable military man was supposed to be “dumb.”

“I think I’m really fitting that role. It’s been a lot of fun,” Garber said.

Both Garber and Morris (as Mr. Wadsworth) have had the chance to hone their accents through the audition process. Another lingering question, considering the source material, is whether the play includes all of the endings or chooses one, but Scafferi played coy and said he didn’t want to ruin the fun for the audience, opting against any spoilers.

Logan Scafferi enjoyed the setup of “Clue” because, as opposed to other shows where one or two main characters go back and forth most of the time, it truly is an ensemble piece with a wide variety of personalities — everyone gets their own spotlight.

Garber agreed.

“I know that kind of group dynamic makes it easier to, one, memorize your lines, and I think two, really give life to the interaction of having the back and forths and gestures and intonations,” he said. “There’s really only one monologue in the entire play, and it involves everyone. Having a group dynamic where we all can kind of fall into our characters and how our characters interact with the other characters makes it a lot of fun, makes it work pretty well.”

And all of the actors agreed that having a younger director like Scafferi who was a noted thespian himself during his time at BCLUW adds to the experience even more.

“He definitely knows what he’s doing and brings a different perspective,” his brother Logan said.

Wedgwood credited Scafferi for making the set fun but knowing when it’s time to lock in and focus.

“He has very clear ideas of what he wants, and I think since he was an actor, it makes it easier for him to portray those ideas to us so he can get his message across but also letting us take our own path,” Moeller said.

The show will be performed on Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/bcluw-high-school/65e882dd0115e90e3e8e402f or at the door — $6 for students and $8 for adults.

——

Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.