Philadelphia is about to get a \u201cClue.\u201d Based on the 1985 film \u2014 itself inspired by the classic board game \u2014 \u201cClue\u201d is a fast-paced, witty murder mystery now playing at the Forrest Theatre through Jan. 25.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia-area cast member Madeline Raube, from West Chester, Pennsylvania, stars as Mrs. Peacock, alongside a talented cast led by Broadway director Casey Hushion (associate director of \u201cMean Girls\u201d and \u201cThe Prom,\u201d associate resident director of \u201cAladdin,\u201d and choreographer for the Netflix series \u201cUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidt\u201d). I had a chance to speak with one of those cast members, Thomas Netter. Netter is a swing, meaning he understudies several roles in the show \u2014 a fun and funny fellow. Some responses have been edited for length or clarity.<\/p>\n
I read that you were a New York-based actor, but is that where you\u2019re originally from?
I\u2019m from, not New York City but New York State, a little town called Kingston in the Hudson Valley area. It\u2019s about two hours north of the city.<\/p>\n
What was little Thomas Netter like?
Oh my gosh. He was similar to big Thomas in a lot of ways. He loved, loved, loved putting on shows in the living room. My grandmother got me into tap dance lessons when I was very young.<\/p>\n
Then, when I was five, the local high school was looking for a little boy to play the youngest brother in a production of \u201cPeter Pan\u201d \u2014 the one with the teddy bear, Michael. That was my first adventure on the stage, and the bug certainly got me. Anytime they needed a kid, I was there. And then I started doing elementary and middle school shows and got involved in community theater, and I haven\u2019t stopped since.<\/p>\n
Were your parents involved in the arts?
My mom played the guitar, so she was musical and had an appreciation for the arts. Between my mom and my grandma, we watched a lot of old movie musicals, like \u201cSingin\u2019 in the Rain\u201d and \u201cWhite Christmas,\u201d and of course, \u201cThe Wizard of Oz.\u201d<\/p>\n
My dad, not so much. He\u2019s an iron worker, and all of my little boy stuff was baseball-themed and sports. So I think it was a little bit of a surprise for me to come out and want to tap dance. But before I was even in high school, he would go to the school and help build sets for them, which was great. My mom sold tickets or merchandise or concessions, whatever was needed. So everybody got involved in some way or another.<\/p>\n
Are you an only child? And what was a favorite family thing to do?
I have two younger siblings. My sister and I are 18 months apart, and then I have a younger brother who\u2019s five years younger than me. Both of my grandparents lived very close, so the extended family was pretty big, and we would do a big Sunday dinner or sometimes a breakfast, just to get to see everyone.<\/p>\n
My two siblings and I are very different. My sister is the brains of the operation. She\u2019s an engineer now working on the Key Bridge in Baltimore. My younger brother was all about sports and started a business when he was only 16, and I was off doing theater.<\/p>\n
We didn\u2019t have a ton of time together, and my parents were always running around getting us to where we needed to go. They really did a great job with us.<\/p>\n
So fast forward. You did musicals and shows in high school. Did you go to college or right to the stage?
I went to the Neighborhood Playhouse, which is a conservatory program.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s interesting because they have people fresh out of high school, and they have people that have been acting for years that will come and do the same two-year program. It\u2019s all based on the Meisner Technique, which is an old New York staple of the acting schools.<\/p>\n
What was the first show that you got paid for?
Oh boy, I was doing dinner theater right after I graduated. I did some children\u2019s theater and some murder mystery dinner theater to kind of rope it into \u201cClue.\u201d I was in a touring production of \u201cA Christmas Carol,\u201d and we would go to different restaurants and venues around the Hudson Valley, even Connecticut sometimes.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s probably the first time I remember being paid. It\u2019s like, \u201cYes! I\u2019m a professional now! And please stop clinking your spoon in your soup dish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk about \u201cClue.\u201d Tell me about your roles in it and how hard it must be being a swing person. Do you have to remember several different parts?
Yeah, this is probably one of the hardest things I\u2019ve ever had to do, but it\u2019s been really fun to get to live in the heads of five different roles. It proves to be a challenge all the time. I cover Wadsworth, Mr. Green, Professor Plum, Mr. Boddy, the cop and others.<\/p>\n
\u201cClue\u201d is fantastic. It\u2019s 80 minutes of really, really fast-paced dialogue, one joke after the other. It has a lot of great nods to the 1985 movie with Madeline Kahn and Tim Curry, but you don\u2019t need to know anything about the film or the board game to appreciate it. You can just come and enjoy this fabulous whodunnit murder mystery.<\/p>\n
So are you on stage every night in some capacity, or are you in the wings until somebody puts glass in somebody\u2019s shoes?
[Laughing] No \u201cAll About Eve\u201d stuff for me! The cast is so wonderful. I\u2019m truly just there, just in case. I\u2019m off stage most shows, unless somebody calls out and I\u2019m asked to step in. I usually watch off stage trying to run those roles, keeping everything fresh in my head.<\/p>\n
Makes sense. How long have you been with the show?
We started rehearsals in New York on I want to say Sept. 21? Then we hit the road. We were in Rochester at the end of October, and we had a small Christmas break, and here we are. So I guess about three months.<\/p>\n
Wow, so this is pretty new. What\u2019s one of your craziest mishaps on stage? Since this is so new, I\u2019ll expand it to any of your shows.
Oh, boy, I should have come prepared. I\u2019ve had a lot of them. I\u2019m trying to think of a funny one, something that\u2019s not dreadful!<\/p>\n
OK, I don\u2019t know how funny this is, but when I was in high school, I was in \u201cHello, Dolly!\u201d playing Cornelius. One of the bits of the show is that they live and work in the basement of the shop. The boss stamps on the floor. I open a trap door and say, \u201cYou stamped, Mr. Vandergelder?\u201d There was a little chain on the trap door that my hand hit as I gestured, and the trap door came down. I\u2019m pretty sure I broke my finger, but you know, the show must go on. I taped my fingers together and kept going.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s funny how when you\u2019re in that show mode, you don\u2019t stop and go, I might have actually done some real damage to my hand. I still have all my digits, but as you can see [holding hand up], the finger is still a little twisted and gnarled. There\u2019s a picture of it because I immediately threw open the door, and someone got a picture of me exactly at that Kodak moment.<\/p>\n
Oh my! What was a favorite role, or what was a role that was really impactful for you?
I just played Motel in \u201cFiddler on the Roof\u201d at the Dutch Apple in Lancaster, and it was just a great experience. Doing that show, especially right now, was so moving. But other fun, silly roles? I\u2019ve played Miss Trunchbull in \u201cMatilda\u201d and it was so much fun to be so horrible. I had warts and tons of makeup, which was really, really fun too. It\u2019s such a sweet, poignant little show and to get to play the villain was pretty exciting.<\/p>\n
And I can legit call you a blockhead too, can\u2019t I?
[Laughing] Yes, I was Charlie Brown in \u201cA Charlie Brown Christmas.\u201d It was a musical adaptation of that 23-minute cartoon. They stretched it out into 90 minutes. We sang Christmas carols, and, of course, all the great songs from the special. Yeah, that was really exciting. That was the last time I toured.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m trying to remember if Charlie Brown did the little dance that they did.
No, he\u2019s left out. He\u2019s the director of the play. I danced a little bit in that show, but I wasn\u2019t doing any of the Snoopy moves.<\/p>\n
Speaking of dancing, you choreograph as well from what I understand.
Yes, I\u2019ve done some. We had a great theater scene growing up in the Hudson Valley, and there\u2019s a great little theater up there called the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck. I was lucky to direct and choreograph a couple of shows up there and at another wonderful little gem of a place in Brooklyn called Gallery Players.<\/p>\n
Nice. Tell me a little bit about coming out.
It\u2019s been a process, is the only way I can say it. And as most people know, you\u2019re constantly coming out. It\u2019s day-to-day sometimes.<\/p>\n
In my case, I started small with some close friends, and then my sister and my parents have come around to it. But it\u2019s funny. I was the little boy singing Judy Garland songs, and in all the musicals. It\u2019s very strange to have everyone assume something about you that maybe you haven\u2019t actually discovered yourself.<\/p>\n
I would say that\u2019s probably the biggest challenge \u2014 that people would just assume or tell me, \u201cOh, well, it\u2019s because you\u2019re gay, you know,\u201d and I kind of hadn\u2019t had the opportunity to really put that together in my head yet. But I was surrounded by wonderful people, and I was so lucky to have so many older queer mentors that championed me and a bunch of allies in my life.<\/p>\n
How did you tell your parents?
I grew up very Catholic, you know? So it wasn\u2019t a big, like, \u201cHey, Mom and Dad, here we are.\u201d I\u2019ve never actually come out with it, but they know.<\/p>\n
Especially with everything going on in the world, as recent as the last election, they could see what kind of consequences that might have \u2014 how it affects LGBTQ people. So there\u2019s definitely an understanding there, and they know, and they\u2019re aware. I can make jokes with them about it now, but I never really had the big, like, \u201cHey, guess what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Come to Jesus moment?
Yeah, they knew and I knew they knew. We\u2019ve worked through quite a bit. And they\u2019re very understanding and supportive.<\/p>\n
Is this your first time in Philadelphia or have you been here before?
I\u2019ve only ever been to 30th Street Station on the layover to either D.C. or to Lancaster or wherever I was going. I\u2019ve never gone outside, so I\u2019m very excited to get to know the town.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve heard that it\u2019s got a great gay scene. I\u2019m very excited, and a lot of the cast are too. They\u2019ve already said that we\u2019ve got to get out and explore.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a great piano bar called Tavern on Camac that a lot of theater people go to. There\u2019s the Little Gay Pub, Knock, UBar, Voyeur for after hours, a lot of places right near the theater. I\u2019m happy to be your ambassador!
I will definitely take you up on that. I\u2019ve been to the Little Gay Pub in DC. I can\u2019t wait to check out the Philly version.<\/p>\n
All right. Let\u2019s talk a little bit more about \u201cClue.\u201d What\u2019s one of your favorite things about the show?
Hmmm, what can I tell you? Like I said, a lot of nods to the movie. I was a big fan of the movie, which is famous for having multiple endings. I can\u2019t, of course, tell you how this ends, but one of my favorite things is the way that we wrap up the show. It is a hoot and a half!<\/p>\n
OK, time for some miscellaneous questions here. What\u2019s a song that gets you going?
It\u2019s so cliche, but \u201cI Wanna Dance with Somebody\u201d by Whitney Houston.<\/p>\n
You wouldn\u2019t know this from looking at me, but I\u2019m really good at\u2026
I\u2019m actually a pretty good bowler. Put that out there.<\/p>\n
[Laughing] I would not have guessed that. A celebrity you would like as a scene partner, and one you\u2019d like to do a love scene with.
Oh boy, oh boy, that\u2019s tough. OK. I\u2019ll say, Judy Garland. She would be a pretty great scene partner. And I\u2019d like to do a love scene with Jonathan Bailey from \u201cWicked,\u201d \u201cBridgerton\u201d and \u201cFellow Travelers.\u201d Oh my gosh, that was so good. It\u2019s all about the Lavender Scare during the McCarthy era. It\u2019s on HBO.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll have to check it out. Favorite unapologetic indulgence?
I\u2019m going to keep it very broad and say a really good sandwich. And I\u2019m so excited to try a real Philly cheesesteak!<\/p>\n
This is the place. What\u2019s your most used emoji?
Probably the laughing and crying emoji. Honestly, that\u2019s probably my biggest indulgence. I love to laugh until I cry and my sides hurt.<\/p>\n
What was the last thing that made you laugh until you cried or snorted milk out your nose?
I have a wonderful group of friends back in the Hudson Valley. It\u2019s rare that we\u2019re all together at once, and we were all together for Christmas. Honestly, anytime we\u2019re all together, the bits and shenanigans that we get into are endless.<\/p>\n
Fun. So last two things, a favorite line from \u201cClue,\u201d and words to live by?
I don\u2019t know if you know the movie, but Madeline Kahn saying, \u201cFlames, flames on the side of my face\u201d is probably one of my favorite lines from the show. Other quote? Stephen Sondheim, our Lord and Savior of musical theater, has a line in \u201cSunday in the Park with George.\u201d And it\u2019s \u201cAnything you do. Let it come from you. Then it will be new. Give us more to see.\u201d I think that\u2019s the artist\u2019s way.<\/p>\n
And I can\u2019t wait to see more at the Forrest Theatre!<\/p>\n
Ensemble Arts presents \u201cClue\u201d through Jan. 25 at the Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut St. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit ensembleartsphilly.org<\/a>. For more on Thomas Netter, visit nothingbutnetter.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Philadelphia is about to get a \u201cClue.\u201d Based on the 1985 film \u2014 itself inspired by the classic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92208,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[45436,45437,45438,41157,36658,45439,45440,69,71,70,45441,45442,45443],"class_list":{"0":"post-92207","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-aladdin","9":"tag-casey-hushion","10":"tag-clue","11":"tag-ensemble-arts","12":"tag-forrest-theatre","13":"tag-madeline-raube","14":"tag-mean-girls","15":"tag-philadelphia","16":"tag-philadelphia-headlines","17":"tag-philadelphia-news","18":"tag-the-prom","19":"tag-thomas-netter","20":"tag-unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}