Based on the fan-favourite 1985 Paramount Pictures movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Cluedo is hitting Australian stages in 2026 in a four-city tour. Rachael Beck is playing Mrs White, and The Scoop sat down for a rapid-fire Q & A chat ahead of opening night in Brisbane.
Rachael talks all things Cluedo, including the joy of working with an ensemble cast and the ups and downs of stepping into Mrs White’s shoes. Read the full interview below.
Cluedo has such a devoted fan base. When did you first encounter the film or the game, and what was your initial reaction?
I played the game when I was young, and we always fought over who was going to be certain characters. But it was also a fight between Cluedo and Monopoly. Half the family wanted to play Monopoly, half wanted to play Cluedo.
Totally, yes! I always wanted to be Miss Scarlet. What about you?
Mrs Peacock.
And what about the film?
I only watched the film when I knew I got the role.
Oh my goodness! I grew up with it, I could probably recite the whole script.
Gosh, we’d better know our lines then! (laughs).
The film Clue is a cult classic with very specific rhythms and iconic performances. How does the stage version make the story its own?
Great question. It’s like the characters have stepped off the board game and onto the stage. We’re not imitating. We’re actors. We’re making it our own, but it absolutely has the rhythm and flavour and feel of the film.
What does theatre allow this story to do that film can’t?
It’s the magic of live theatre. It’s the tennis match that you play with every line. You rely on the laughs. Different audiences have different lines that they love. We rely on the audience as much as the audience relies on us to play the actual characters and deliver the lines.
So it’s the magic of that. It’s the embellishment of that. It makes it so much more real. You’re basically in the game when you’re watching a live show, other than when you’re watching the movie.
Were there any lines or moments you were secretly hoping would survive the transition to the stage?
Well, I can tell you that most of the lines, I think almost all the lines, are in the stage play. I was watching out for Mrs White, so obviously, the flames line is in. I do make that my own as well.
What was your first thought when you found out you’d be playing Mrs White?
The role description was ‘insipid, angry and cold,’ and I thought: gosh, I’m so far from that sort of character in my real life. Wow, I’m really going to have to act. And also, she’s perhaps killed three or four of her husbands, so I had to do a little bit of research into that.
I was excited because I hadn’t played a role like that before, and the characters are so big. They’re not caricatures, but it’s just very specific acting and a very specific style. So I was excited to be able to play Mrs White in that way.
Mrs White is dry, deadpan and quietly lethal. What do you enjoy most about sitting in that kind of stillness while chaos unfolds around you?
It’s hard for me to do that, because I do like to be in the centre of things, but it’s such a wonderful departure from a lot of the other roles I’ve played. And I don’t know, I think as you grow older, there is a stillness that happens. There’s a depth that happens to you as a person, so I can definitely identify with her at this age.
Is Mrs White misunderstood, or exactly as dangerous as she seems?
Oh, definitely as dangerous as she seems, hands down.
Does playing someone so emotionally contained make the moments she does snap even more satisfying?
Definitely, I think for me, there’s also almost an insanity, and a madness inside there that is humming away for Mrs White in my portrayal. So when she does snap, it’s explosive because it’s just below the surface. She’s always just pressing it down and putting on that mask. And I really love that as an actor, that’s quite a wonderful challenge to play.
With such a tightly choreographed farce, what’s been the biggest challenge in rehearsals?
Oh, it is so intense. All of our bodies are aching because we’re doing lots of head snaps. Even though Grant Piro is heading it as Wadsworth, the Butler, and does an amazing job, we have done a lot of work to get all of our gasps and our head snaps together. It’s a true ensemble piece.
It’s rapid-fire dialogue, so you cannot have any pauses. And that is what requires a lot of focus every night. But also, needing to counterbalance that with where the laughs and audience reactions may be, because they are different every night. So you’ve got to actually have a hyper focus when you’re doing this style. You can’t really rest, and you can’t play for laughs. You’ve got to play for drama. That’s when it’s funny.
Who breaks character the most in rehearsals?
I think maybe Genevieve Lemon, because she’s just so damn funny. And I don’t know whether it’s her breaking or whether it’s us breaking, because she’s so funny. We’ve all laughed in rehearsal.
It’s been a very community-type rehearsal. Usually, you stay in your lane, you listen to the director, but everyone has been very collaborative. If someone is finding it hard to get the timing of a joke, other actors will come and help, and that doesn’t usually happen. But we all just have this camaraderie, because if one person gets the joke right, it’s good for the whole show. It’s been a really, really fantastic rehearsal process in that way.
I love hearing that. What kind of audience member is going to love this production the most?
Oh, I think Aussies really love that British style humour, that double entendre, play on words, physical comedy. I think anyone who loves a good laugh. There’s something that’s very appealing to each age group.
One of my best friends, her 17-year-old, plays Cluedo on her phone. So there’s this whole new group of young people coming through who are loving it as well, which is exciting. So, you know, parents can take their teenagers.
I think it’s a really great show to introduce theatre to kids as well, because it snaps along, it’s magical, and it’s funny. Some of the jokes are obvious, and some of the jokes will go over the kids’ heads.
Why is Cluedo the perfect night at the theatre right now?
Because we all need a laugh at the moment. And this production was done in London, but we’ve been given total Australian creativity on this. So we’ve got all-new costumes and sets. It’s a totally blank slate, and I think Australian audiences are going to be really proud of it.
Our final two questions we like to ask everyone we chat to as we love hearing the answers. Are there any dream roles or shows left on your bucket list?
Ooh. I think… I think my dream role is being written. It’s being written right now.
It doesn’t exist yet?
Not yet.
I love that answer! No one has said that before. And finally, what advice would you give anyone wanting to get into the industry?
If you are um-ing and ah-ing about doing it, don’t do it. Because it’s a very hard industry, and there are a lot of people doing it. But follow your passion, train yourself up. And there are many things you can do: singing, dancing, acting, gymnastics, an instrument. The more skills you have, the more employable you are.
If you don’t get a show straight away, do something that’s pro-am, do something that’s amateur, because that still hones your skills. But I think that you have to be ready for waits. Waits of no work and people saying: no, that show is not right for you. Even though you think it is. You just have to say: I’m just going to keep doing it, because I love to do it.
I would say to young people, getting a degree or something on the side is probably a good idea, too. So you can have something that you can go in and out of. You’re still using your mind in another way.
And I think that if you really do want to be in this industry, do it in whatever way you can. It doesn’t have to be at QPAC. It doesn’t have to be the Opera House. It can be in your local theatre. It can be wherever it is. You’re not more successful because you’re here and here. That’s what I think.
And I know it’s easy for me to say, but I honestly do think that an audience is an audience. Whether they’re at the Opera House or whether they’re at the Church Hall. Because you’re still touching people, still affecting people. I think one of my greatest joys is to make people laugh. Always has been comedy. To make someone laugh is just such a gift.
Cluedo officially opens tonight and runs to 1 February 2026 at The Playhouse, QPAC Brisbane. It then tours to Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney. See dates below.
Tickets: https://cluedoplay.com.au/#tickets
Website: https://cluedoplay.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/cluedotheplay/
Hero image photo credit: Jeff Busby
2026 Australian Tour Dates
Brisbane 7 January to 1 February, Playhouse Theatre, QPAC
Melbourne 7 February – 15 March, Comedy Theatre
Adelaide 21 March – 4 April, Her Majesty’s Theatre
Sydney 11 April – 8 May, Theatre Royal
