UPDATE 2023-11-08: The article now reflects the current name and location of the event. All links have also been fixed.
If you spent your afternoons playing board games with your friends, here’s your chance to roll the dice and get in the game. CLUE: A Walking Mystery (formerly CLUE! Live: A Walking Experience) recreates a game of Clue or Cluedo come to life. This immersive theatrical experience invites thirty participants to an imaginary version of Mr. Boddy’s (Dr. Black’s) mansion to investigate the mystery surrounding his demise.
Cluedo: Origins of a Classic
This show is based on the board game Clue or Cluedo, made popular by Waddingtons, Parker Brothers and currently Hasbro. British musician Anthony Pratt came up with the concept (which he named Murder!) back in 1944, during the golden age of film noir and Agatha Christie mystery novels.
Waddingtons acquired the rights to the game, simplified its rules, and released it in 1949 as Cluedo, a combination of the word clue and the Latin word ludo (game). Parker Brothers, under license from Waddingtons, renamed the game Clue and released the game in the United States.
Clue has since sold millions of copies and received multiple visual revisions, but keeping its basic mechanics intact. It has also been adapted into books, television series, a movie, a musical, a game show, and even a video game.
In a way, CLUE: A Walking Mystery brings Cluedo‘s history full circle. After all, Pratt crafted the board game as a distraction for families during wartime, while this theatrical experience was designed with the COVID-19 pandemic in mind. Everything takes place outdoors with health protocols in place, which does not distract from the fun. A “macabre” escape from contemporary horrors.
From Tabletop to Real Life
The show CLUE: A Walking Mystery comes from the creative team at Right Angle Entertainment in association with Hasbro. Renowned Canadian playwright T.J. Dawe wrote and directed the project. Right Angle Entertainment specializes in concerts, parodies, and other live theatrical performances.
Unlike the original game, where one of the participants could easily be the murderer, the players in CLUE: A Walking Mystery act as detectives looking for clues to the crime. Mr. (or Mrs.) Butler escorts them through the mansion’s famous settings, where they must interview every one of Cluedo‘s colorful suspects, from Miss Scarlet to Colonel Mustard. Possible murder weapons include classics like the rope, the candlestick, and the lead pipe.
Like the board game, CLUE: A Walking Mystery is suitable for people eight years and older. All family members have the opportunity to solve the case and find the culprit. Since the experience has three possible endings, you can revisit and enjoy it multiple times.
Where to Find CLUE: A Walking Mystery
CLUE: A Walking Mystery has toured several U.S. locations such as Los Angeles, California and Chicago, Illinois. It’s currently running in Chicago throughout the remainder of 2023, with plans to expand to “secret locations” in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Washington, DC.
Find out more about CLUE: A Walking Mystery on the show’s official website and Instagram account.