Back in the 1970s when I was growing up and before computers revolutionised home entertainment, we used to play board games, and Cluedo was one of my favourites. 

For those not in the know, the premise of the game, which is set in a mansion, is to work out which character committed a murder, in which room they did it, and with which weapon. 

Apparently, there are 324 possible outcomes to Cluedo, which was created by Birmingham-born detective-fiction enthusiast Anthony E Pratt. His wife, Elva, co-designed the game and provided the board’s original artwork. The Pratts are buried in the nearby Bromsgrove Cemetery.

Taking its inspiration not only from the board game but also the 1985 movie, Clue, the stage production of Cluedo stars former Coronation Street and EastEnders favourite Michelle Collins, who gives an attention-grabbing performance as glamorous Soho escort Miss Scarlett. 

The action, set in 1949, is imaginatively directed by Mark Bell, who helmed The Play That Goes Wrong. 
Movement Director Anna Healey also deserves a mention for her splendidly slick and gloriously silly staging. Chaos and mayhem abound as the performers enter and exit different doors, dance with props whilst helping to change scenes, and cleverly present some of the show’s most dramatic moments in slow motion!

The actors are a great troupe of entertainers whose colourful stand-alone characters beautifully complement one another and pull off the show’s many slapstick moments to absolute perfection. 
Their delivery of double entendres is very much up to the mark as well!

The stand-out performance for me comes from Tom Babbage. Painfully funny as Reverend Green, he demonstrates a real talent for physical comedy - and never more so than during a wonderful slow-motion scene involving a chandelier and a near-death experience. 

A special mention must also go to Jean-Luke Worrell, who plays the indispensable and omniscient butler, Wandsworth. Marvellously adept at wordplay, he strikes up a fantastic relationship with the audience. 

There are plenty of great one liners, too. My favourite is delivered by Mrs White, played by Etisyai Philip, who declares that she likes her husbands to be like Kleenex tissues - soft, strong and disposable! 

The laugh-out-loud moments just keep on coming and nothing is taken seriously - not even murder!

Fast-moving, clever, at times hilarious and always engaging, Cluedo is a hugely entertaining night out at the theatre for anybody who loves the spoof-thriller genre. 

Four stars.
Review by Sue Hull.

The production runs at Malvern Theatre until Saturday (25 June), before heading to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from Mon 11 - Sat 16 July.