Bromley Churchill Theatre transforms into Cluedo board game - review

If there’s one thing I’ll never get tired of, it’s the theatre.

The spectacular costumes, daring plot lines and endless drama are several reasons why – but my favourite, is the opportunity to escape reality, just for a little while.

My friend and I arrived at the Churchill theatre in Bromley earlier than planned - so we decided to relax in the lounge, soaking up the sights of theatrical posters spread amongst the room.

We soon made our way to our seats which were relatively close to the stage and we watched the theatre slowly become jam packed with people of all age groups.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of the play – the only knowledge I had about Cluedo was the vague memory of playing the board game when I was younger.

As the curtains drew and the lights dimmed, there was an eerily empty stage with a radio player placed in the middle of the set.

‘This is going to be good’ I thought to myself, but I did not expect the undeniably hilarious acting that followed.

Michelle Collins, star of EastEnders and Coronation Street, played the iconic role of seductive Miss Scarlet – she was sultry, snappy and a little sarcastic throughout, just how I envisioned her on the board game.

We soon enough were greeted by the rest of the players – crafty Colonel Mustard, awkward Rev. Green, drunken Mrs Peacock, uptight Professor Plum, sketchy Mrs White and my personal favourite, Wadsworth – the mischievous butler who stole the show.

Image credit to Churchill Theatre

Mark Bell, the director of the Play that Goes Wrong was the creative genius behind Cluedo and he definitely did not miss a spot with the jokes.

The stage itself quite literally transformed into the board game.

There were doors surrounding the set, which soon revealed to be the traditional rooms of the board game, including the study, kitchen, and the billiard room.

The audience and I followed each player to the rooms, unravelling clues and discovering secret passages - all whilst giggling at the witty comments the players would often make.

Image credit to Churchill Theatre

We spent the interval time chit-chatting about who we thought was the culprit.

“It was Professor plum with the revolver in the kitchen,” I said.

“NO, it is definitely Mrs White with the rope in the lounge,” my friend replied.

Unfortunately, we were both wrong, with all seven guesses.

The second half of the play was full of anticipation and humour.

The plot was thickening, and the room was silent, apart from the sudden bursts of laughter when a player would say a stupidly funny line – often with reference to politicians of today.

Image credit to Churchill Theatre

The finale was phenomenal, with surprises so great I heard members of the audience gasping out loud.

Cluedo was a hysterically intensive show full of creativity and suspense and had me guessing until the last five minutes.

It was fun playing detective for the night.