Venue: Theatre Royal (Sydney NSW), Apr 11 – May 10, 2026
Playwright: Sandy Rustin (based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn)
Director: Luke Joslin
Cast: Octavia Barron-Martin, Rachael Beck, Laurence Boxhall, Lib Campbell, Olivia Deeble, David James, Nat Jobe, Genevieve Lemon, Joshua Monaghan, Adam Murphy, Grant Piro
Images by Jeff Busby
Theatre review
Six guests converge upon a secluded estate for an mysterious gathering, wherein Wadsworth, the obsequious butler, reveals their shared predicament: each has suffered extortion at the hands of the nefarious Mr. Boddy, whose abrupt murder initiates an evening of escalating pandemonium.
Despite its contemporary provenance—adapted by Sandy Rustin a mere six years ago from the iconic board game and its 1985 cinematic counterpart—this production of Cluedo exudes a decidedly antiquated sensibility, trafficking in broad farcical conventions and groan-inducing “dad jokes” delivered with such thudding deliberateness, that their artlessness appears almost intentional.
Alas, director Luke Joslin’s deployment of high camp, while tonally apt, cannot disguise this relentless barrage of puerile humour into genuine wit, though the proceedings maintain a vigorous kinetic energy that helps sustains audience attention. The ensemble operates with choreographed cohesion, rendering exuberant chaos with polished finesse; Grant Piro’s Wadsworth epitomizes this aesthetic—an unapologetic homage to the vaudevillian excesses of the 1970s and 80s, all nostalgic bombast without the faintest whisper of nuance.
James Browne’s scenic and sartorial designs emerge as the production’s redemption, conjuring vintage grandeur while deploying spatial ingenuity to navigate the mansion’s proliferating chambers with surprising dexterity. Sean Peter’s soundscape amplifies the counterfeit melodrama at every turn, augmenting the unrelenting slapstick with sonic hyperbole, while Jasmine Rizk’s lighting design bathes both architectural splendor and character eccentricities in flatteringly dramatic illumination.
Though Cluedo ultimately offers scant entertainment value, the consummate skill and craftsmanship underlying its execution—the meticulous professionalism permeating every discipline—provides its own peculiar, modest gratification.
Suzy Goes See 