If you’ve ever played the board game “Clue,” you must be familiar with the characters who arrive at an eerie old mansion on a stormy night.
Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock and Colonel Mustard have all been invited — and even if you’ve never rolled the dice and found your way into the billiard room or the conservatory as part of the game, you can probably guess how most of those characters will dress.
“Her costume is quite a scene in itself, with lace and feathers and 1950s glasses,” actor Madeline Raube said, describing Mrs. Peacock, the character she portrays in “Clue: A New Comedy,” which Broadway in Scranton will bring to the Scranton Cultural Center April 24-26.
“She, out of all the female characters, has the most physical comedy. It’s truly slapstick,” Raube said. “She’s very neurotic, quick to hysteria and has some birdlike qualities. I use a bit of a character voice.”
The production has seen well over 160 performances since it began touring last September, and there have been some audience talkbacks, during which Raube has noticed how people of different generations enjoy the slapstick whodunit, which is based on a 1985 movie.
“I was surprised to learn it is the play most done in high schools and middle schools,” she said. “The fans of ‘Clue’ are amazing. Every single night they really pump us up.”
“I’m really excited to return to Scranton,” Raube continued, noting her last performance in the Electric City was in 2023, when she portrayed Countess Lily in the touring show “Anastasia.” A resident of West Chester, she said Scranton is close enough to her home that friends and family will likely be able to come to see her.
If you would like to join them for what Raube describes as “75 minutes of laughter,” and “a chance to take a break from whatever is going on in your life,” show times are 7:30 p.m. April 24; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. April 25; and 1 p.m. April 26.
Raube, incidentally, grew up playing the game, but never wanted to assume the persona of Mrs. Peacock. “I always wanted to be Miss Scarlet,” she said with a laugh.