“Clue” to Start Oregon Cabaret Theatre’s 2024 Season

ASHLAND, Ore. — Murder Mystery meets farce in Oregon Cabaret Theatre’s “Clue,” the comedy production kicking off the 2024 season on Friday, February 2.

Set to run through April 7, the play “Clue” is a comedy based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie that was originally inspired by the classic Hasbro board game. At Oregon Cabaret Theatre, the movie and murder mystery meets farce when a dinner host meets an untimely end.

Every character is a suspect in “Clue” and the play features a cast that will be familiar to Oregon Cabaret Theatre regulars. Centered around dinner and death, the production opens at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests are assembled for an unusual dinner party. Unbeknown to most of them, murder and blackmail are on the menu. But when their host turns up dead, everyone becomes a suspect.

“Clue” director Alex Boyles is a huge fan of the movie. He says, “The stage version- while it has some differences, is really a love letter to the classic film.” There are challenges in the technical elements of the show- the specificity required in the comedic bits and the constant changing of rooms, Boyle has found the production work a joy. The source material is already hilarious and the cast takes the fun to the next level.

The People Involved In “Clue”

Associate artistic director Alex Boyles recently co-directed “Christmas at the Prime Rib Playhouse.” Featuring several Cabaret veterans, the cast includes Rick Robinson, Katie Worley Beck, Dan Olson, Austin Miller, Livia Genise, Louis Lotorto, Melinda Parrett, Preston Mead, Ernesto Rosales, and Gwendolyn Duffy, next to newcomer Kat Lee. Based on the movie screenplay by Jonathan Lynn, Sandy Rustin wrote the script, with additional contributions by Hunter Foster and Eric Price.

Other Cabaret veterans involved on the production team include choreographer Valerie Rachelle and fight choreographer U. Jonathan Toppo. The design team lineup includes set designer Jason Bolen, lighting designer Evan Carbone, sound designer Kimberly O’Loughlin, props designer Jackie Perron, projection designer Michael Stanfill, costume designer Sara Brookes, and wig designer Virginia Carol Hudson.

Described by the theatre’s managing director Rick Robinson as a “hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery,” if “Clue” were a movie, it would be rated PG as it features tame adult situations and comic violence.

Showtimes And Details

“Clue” runs from February 2 to April 7, there are shows at 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays. Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday matinees at 1 p.m. Tickets cost $32 to $49.

Reservations are required for pre-show dinner or brunch, but appetizers, cocktails, beverages, and desserts are available without reservations.

The Oregon Cabaret Theatre offers a 15% ticket discount for groups of 12 or more for select ticket types and performances, and student rush tickets will be available at $15, purchased 30 minutes before the curtains open with a valid student ID, but are subject to availability.

To get a clue of what’s coming up in the 2024 season at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre, or to buy tickets for the show, “Clue,” call the Oregon Cabaret Theatre box office at 541-488-2902 or visit oregoncabaret.com.