'Clue' a major production for Plains drama

It might have been the biggest crowd for the Plains School Drama Club, which put on the play "Clue" last week in the school's new gymnasium. It was also the biggest set the students had ever constructed, said Terri Henry, the school's drama coach for more than 30 years.

"We never could have done it this big in the pavilion; it would have taken up the whole room," added Henry. Prior to utilizing the new gym, the drama club performed at the fairgrounds pavilion, which is a much smaller area. Henry said it took the staff and cast members almost a week to construct the 10 "rooms" for the play, which ended up about 30 feet wide and about 30 feet deep.

The 14 students from seventh grade to senior performed Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon to a full house each time. Nearly 115 people attended the final showing on Sunday, but Henry guesses there were over 100 the other two evenings.

The play was based on the game Clue, introduced in America by Parker Brothers in 1949. It was made into a movie in 1985, but Henry recommended to her students that they don't watch it until after the play.

Clue is a whodunit comedy mystery in the setting of an old mansion on a stormy night. Guests show up one by one, but all have one thing in common - they are all being blackmailed. The host, Mr. Boddy, played by Django Oakcedar, gives each guest - Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mr. Peacock, Mrs. White, Colonel Mustard, and Mr. Green - a gift, which turns out to be a variety of weapons - a gun, a knife, a wrench, a lead pipe, a candlestick, and a rope. The lethal presents were used for murders that evening at the mansion, which includes the loss of a butler and a cook.

It's a fast moving comedy with bodies quickly stacking up, and sometimes disappearing, sending panic and suspicion in the guests' minds. Boddy is the first to be killed, followed by the cook, played by Melodie Cook. Her demise is followed by the death of a stranded motorist (Alex Horodyski), a visiting policewoman (Keelie Hathorne), Yvette, the maid, (Ireland Corbin), and a singing telegram girl (Emma Dimond). The butler, Wadsworth, played by Mikiah Cook, guides the guests throughout the play.

Other wacky snafus take place during the play. The scenario finishes with Professor Plum as the accused murderer, sort of. A second finish accuses Colonel Mustard, aka Cecilia Harris. The culprit switches to Mrs. White, played by Mackenzie Tulloch, Mrs. Peacock, played by Susannah Lindsay, and finally Miss Scarlet, played by Halie Tompkins. Wadsworth then confesses that she's the real Mr. Boddy, but then it's revealed that they're all killers and the Chief of Police, also played by Oakcedar, arrests them all, but not before an additional killing takes place.

"Everyone did a wonderful job," said Myra Lindborg, who attended the final performance with her two sisters, Nora Verpoorten and Erma Steinebach, all who were in drama at Plains School. "It's great that Terri does this. Without her, there wouldn't even be a Plains Drama Club," added Lindborg. She and Verpoorten are regulars with the Paradise Players, who perform regularly at the Paradise Center.

Seven of the students were first time performers with the school drama club, including seventh-grader Emma Dimond as the singing telegram girl, freshman Keelie Hathorne as the unexpected cop, senior Kaedance Ciferri, the disguised murderer, freshman Melodie Cook, along with Corbin, an eighth-grader, Tompkins, a freshman, and Harris, an eighth-grader.

"I was extremely nervous the first night, but I was fine the second time," said the 13-year-old Dimond. Henry said all of the first time actors did an excellent job and hopes they will come out for their spring play. Four of the students are homeschooled: the Cook sisters, Lindsay, and Hathorne.

The cast started rehearsing for their hour and a half long play almost seven weeks ago. Ticket price was $5 a person. Henry would like to use the money to purchase individual wireless microphones for the club. Cathy Emmett serves as the assistant director and makeup specialist.

"There is a lot of talent here. All the years I've been doing this, the creativity of these kids amazes me," said Henry. "The kids put this together, I'm just the director."