Audience decides Whodunnit in reborn ‘Cluedo’ comedy

CUT!, a comedy whodunnit based on the famous board game Cluedo, opens at the Players Theatre, Thame, on Tuesday, July 9.

Written by local cartoonist and author Robert Duncan, it was first staged by Thame Players under the name ‘Cluedo’, prior to opening at the Theatre Royal Windsor in 1986, where it broke box-office records. A highly successful national tour followed, during which Cluedo was seen by no less than HM the Queen, Sir Tim Rice and Vera Lynn, amongst others.

Despite numerous attempts, following its purchase from original owners Waddingtons, Hasbro, the new US owners of Cluedo, refused to allow continued use of the name ‘Cluedo’ as the play’s title. Unwilling to let such a successful whodunnit disappear without trace, Robert Duncan has now rewritten the play under the name Cut! so that audiences can continue to enjoy it today. The first successful performance of Cut! took place in New Zealand earlier this year, prior to its UK premiere at the Players Theatre next month.

Much of the original plot and setting remain the same, despite the change of title and renaming of the six original characters. There is a gruesome murder – of course! – and there are six different possible endings. The audience has to decide whodunnit, so there could be a different ending every night.

The action takes place in 1935 at Bigger Hampton Manor, a country manor house owned by the famous American film producer, Otto Steinburger. He has arranged a dinner party to introduce the cast and crew to his latest blockbuster, Cut! Although the guests, including such luminaries as Major Pongo Brown, Adora Mann, Darlene Withers, the Reverend Acorn, and Mrs Travesty, the housekeeper, think they‘ve been invited to talk about Cut!, little do they realise that Steinburger has different evil intentions for each of them. With a murder on their hands, the six suspects are cross-questioned by an Inspector from the local constabulary, who discovers that each is more than capable of committing the terrible crime….

Cut! promises to have audiences gripped from the start and puts them in the driving seat when it comes to solving the murder. It’s a fast-paced whodunnit that promises to be huge fun and totally unmissable! Tickets are £8-£10 from Spear Travels, Greyhound Walk, Thame, telephone 01844 217228, or go to www.thameplayers.co.uk

Cut! is being performed at the Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame OX9 2DP, from Tuesday, July 9, until Saturday, July 13, inclusive. Tickets are £8-£10 from Spear Travels, Greyhound Walk, Thame, telephone 01844 217228, or go to www.thameplayers.co.uk