The window is wide open, the curtain is waving, there’s fog, lightning and a rumble of heightened excitement for a Tuesday murder! Melbourne is alive with murder, as Cluedo – the hilarious whodunnit play has hung itself with immaculate grandeur at The Comedy Theatre. It’s sudden, scandalous, and executed with absolute perfection.
Based on the board game created by British musician Anthony Pratt, it was originally called Murder and designed for entertainment during the blackouts in World War II. Known in the US as Clue, the game has 324 possible outcomes. The play version was first staged in 1985 and then released as a feature film later that year.
Cluedo the play is set at Boddy Manor and journeys through a setup, blackmail, murder, investigations, accusations and then multiple revelations.
It includes bullet speeding action sequences! Spanner-wielding physical comedy! Knife-pointed humour! Candlestick smackingly good jokes! And strong-as-a-lead-pipe freezes that allow for all sorts of shadows, darkness, hidden passages, exposed secrets and outed indiscretions that all bring addictive twists and delightful drama.
Following six eccentric guests who are invited to a grand yet gloomy hilltop manor, the stormy evening brings the arrival of the suspects. All have been instructed to use pseudonyms for the evening’s procedures.
We meet Miss Scarlett (Olivia Deeble), Professor Plum (David James), Mrs White (Rachael Beck), Reverend Green (Laurence Boxhall), Mrs Peacock (Genevieve Lemon) and Colonel Mustard (Adam Murphy), who are greeted by the butler Wadsworth (Grant Piro).
The party is then served by the cook (Octavia Barron-Martin), and the maid, Yvette (Lib Campbell), for dinner and drinks, and thereafter sent off to the lounge where all the fun begins.
It is then revealed that they are all being blackmailed by the host of the event, Mr Boddy (Joshua Monaghan), who suddenly appears holding a briefcase of evidence. He has called the police, so that before their arrival, the guests must agree to pay more hush money.
But when the lights suddenly go out, and Mr Boddy is found dead, there is great urgency to find out who killed him, where and with what weapon. As more bodies start to pile up, the story becomes a chaotic, cleverly constructed mystery that is sliced and diced with just so much fun.
With an incredible cast of highly talented performers, each character is brought to life with unique energy. They flow together like a rainbow. Working in unison, they are a collegiate team with precise entrances and exits, door swinging and stage positioning.
They manage all this with in an array of complications, a mess of accents and snapping, sharp looks. It’s just layer upon layer of murderous lasagne, spiced with suspicion and served with an incredible intention to eliminate! After all, “it takes a lot of courage to kill someone twice.”
Our larger-than-life troupe includes the alluring housemaid Yvette played by Lib Campbell, who is all feathers and no duster. She is absurdly provocative in all the right ways and the ideal combination of airy, fairy and flirt.
The brilliantly bossy Cook, played by Octavia Barron-Martin, brings pomp and poise to the table. Her discovered death scene is a standout as she gets ‘walked’ across the corridor and left to ‘stand’ with knife in back still in place.
The suspicious policeman Bobby sends everyone into a frantic frenzy. Nat Jobe plays it cool and collected, with a lighthearted hand in hand until further notice: when he doesn’t get to play anymore at all!
Mr Boddy is brought to life by Joshua Monaghan, only to die twice in a suave and swift blow. But he is all confidence and swish here.
To get more colourful, Rachael Beck gives us a flawless performance as the classy Mrs White, a devilish widow full of intelligence and attention. She is her own spotlight on stage, masterful with detail and full of more expression than every existing emoji.
Laurence Boxhall as Reverend Green displays an incredible craft; bumbling around, nervously checking his pulse so as not to place doubt. He has amazing comedic timing and truly captivates when telling his story. The audience all applaud for his exceptional portrayal.
Olivia Deeble as the charming Miss Scarlett is definitely a crowd favourite. Special mention from my starstruck daughters who are huge fans of Little Lunch and couldn’t believe they were sitting in front of her! She radiates elegant power, bringing to life an iconic character with zest and feist.
David James, as the self-important, cunning Professor Plum, is full of cheek and mischief. He has a natural presence on stage, and his brilliance in delivering straight-shooting humour builds the storyline, gathering a momentum that adds to the tension.
Genevieve Lemon as the always extra Mrs Peacock is a parade of extroversion. She brings humour into every scene and flair to the funnies, whilst being graceful and simply splendid. The moment where she crept across the stage, shadowed all in blue, at an attempt to powder her nose, had the crowd in fits of laughter.
Adam Murphy’s Colonel Mustard is one of the highlights of this production. He is the punchline to many of the jokes, and he delivers it with genius. Often with a slight, deliberate delay or an effective pause and play with words, he embodies the role with an official type of politeness that adds to the wonderful humour.
Grant Piro as Wadsworth completes the cast, and he is a standout of everything incredible. His character changes as different events take place. He embodies every swish movement of a rope, a dagger, a gun and more. He is a blast of energy, stabbed with delicate storytelling and tied together with action-packed comedy.
Director Luke Joslin and his creative team have put together a brilliant production of Cluedo. It’s hilariously clever, and then it leans even harder into being Cluedo. Everything is incredibly well thought out in design, with moving pieces coming together like a rubix cube of scrambled colours magically solving as it floats in front of you.
The show is a thread through a needle eye at first try, an excellence of sewn together clues, a well-lit candle on everyone’s story, and an experience where the whole theatre is caught in the game. Grab your seat and be a part of the mystery.
Cluedo runs to 15 March 2026 at the Comedy Theatre Melbourne. It then tours to Adelaide and Sydney. See dates below.
Tickets: https://cluedoplay.com.au/#tickets
Website: https://cluedoplay.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/cluedotheplay/
Photo credits: 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
