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‘Clue’ at Amicus Community Theater — From left, Cat Hanson, Hillary Mead, Oliver Egan, Noah Chin, Haven Hanson, Aaron Espinosa and Phyllis M. Nofts. Photo courtesy of Amicus Community Theater

By OC Theatre Guild

September 16, 2026

Written for OC Theatre Guild by Anne Reid

Amicus Community Theater

‘Clue’

When: Sept. 25 – Oct. 4

Where: Bette Aitken Theater Arts Center, 5522 E. La Palma Avenue, Anaheim

More Info: 888-455-4212, www.ChanceTheater.com

Amicus Community Theater is putting its own intimate spin on the classic murder mystery “Clue.” Fresh off the Ahmanson Theatre’s run of the show in Los Angeles earlier this month, Amicus had to keep its production under wraps while the touring production was still in the area. This put an interesting and challenging spin on casting and production.

Presented on Bette Aitken theater arts Center’s intimate Fyda-Mar Stage, “Clue” brings the familiar suspects of the iconic board game and cult-classic film to life as Miss Scarlet, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock and Professor Plum arrive at the remote Boddy Manor for a mysterious dinner party.

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When their host, Mr. Boddy, turns up dead, everyone becomes a suspect. Led by Wadsworth the butler, the guests race through the mansion trying to determine who committed the murder, where it happened and which familiar weapon was used.

The result is a fast-paced whodunit that mixes murder and blackmail with broad physical comedy, running gags and the increasingly frantic movements of a group of suspects desperately trying to stay one step ahead of both the killer and one another.

For Amicus co-founder, director and producer Aleece Hanson, “Clue” is also the next step for a young theater company built around the idea of bringing people together through the arts.

Hanson founded Amicus with Rheannon Rozewski after the two met while attending law school. Both went on to careers as attorneys, one in criminal litigation and the other in civil litigation, but their shared passion for theater began well before graduation.

While in law school, they helped create the WashU Law Comedy Caucus, producing a small improv show in the fall and a “Saturday Night Live”-style sketch show in the spring. Hanson said the experience allowed them to take on nearly every aspect of producing a show, including performing.

After graduation, the demands of their legal careers took over, and they found themselves missing the creative community they had built.

“We missed that passion, so we wanted to create something in Orange County,” Hanson said. “Amicus Community Theater was born from that goal.”

Encouragement from Hanson’s brother, Haven Hanson, who serves on the board of Orange County Theatre Guild, helped convince them to take the leap. Planning for Amicus began in January and the company staged its first production, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” in June.

The production was presented at Bette Aitken theater arts Center through Chance Theater’s Visiting Companies program, an initiative designed to provide opportunities for emerging theater companies and new artists. “Clue” continues that relationship.

The partnership has also presented Amicus with an unusual challenge: fitting the sprawling mansion of “Clue” into an intimate theater. Much of the comedy depends on characters racing from room to room as the mystery unfolds, requiring the production to create the illusion of a much larger mansion within the confines of the Fyda-Mar Stage.

The production follows the established script, but Hanson said the company is finding ways to give the show its own creative identity, particularly when it comes to staging a story built around rapid movement, physical comedy and characters careening through different rooms of an enormous mansion.

“We’re doing it in such a small space, so we have to be creative about how to make it fit with everyone in the cast,” Rozewski said.

For Hanson, blocking things in a meticulous way has been imperative to the process.

Rather than viewing the limitations as a drawback, Hanson and her team are using them to shape the production. Haven Hanson is collaborating on set design with Rozewski and is also designing and sewing the costumes from scratch. Taylor Ozuna is handling lighting and stage management.

“We have a very tight-knit team right now, and we’re hoping to expand as we grow,” Aleece said. “We put the community in community theater.”

“Clue” was an easy choice for the fledgling company. Hanson has seen the play several times and was drawn to its combination of comedy, mystery and relentless pacing.

“I think it’s really funny,” she said. “It’s such an exciting production and so fast-paced. ‘Clue’ is such a classic.”

Casting the show, however, was anything but conventional.

Because the company had to keep the title under wraps during the audition process, Amicus held a small, closed audition and reached out to performers the team already knew or who had been recommended to them. Actors who had previously expressed interest in another potential production were also given the opportunity to audition.

Rozewski recalled the particularly fitting moment when, just before auditions, the company received an inquiry from an actor interested in participating without knowing what the mystery production was.

“Literally the day before our audition, we got an email from someone who wanted to be in it but didn’t have a clue what show it was,” Rozewski said.

The resulting 12-person cast takes on a collection of characters that have become familiar to generations of “Clue” fans.

Phyllis M. Nofts plays Mrs. Peacock, and Aleece said the actor seems to bring the eccentric character to life naturally.

“She just really gets the character,” she said. “Her antics go all over the place. She’s very funny and fits the character.”

Haven Hanson takes on Wadsworth, the harried butler at the center of much of the action.

“He has some wild scenes where he’s running all over a giant mansion,” Aleece said. “He puts his whole self into it. He’s in practically every scene.”

Oliver Egan plays Mr. Green, a role Aleece said allowed him to demonstrate his versatility from the beginning of the audition process.

“During auditions, he had a new take on each character he read for,” Hanson said. “You can see Oliver’s layers through each performance.”

Faith Kim takes on the smaller but pivotal role of Mr. Boddy, bringing what Hanson described as a New York gangster quality to the character.

For Rozewski, some of the most satisfying moments in “Clue” are hidden in plain sight. Seemingly disposable lines and bits of comedy often foreshadow revelations that will come later, rewarding audience members who are paying close attention.

“We wanted our actors to realize they’re playing a character who’s also playing a character,” she said.

That balancing act extends to the production’s deliberately exaggerated style. Aleece describes “Clue” as campy and almost soap opera-like, woven into a style that can look deceptively simple.

“People might think that’s easy to act, but I think it’s difficult to make it campy and still make people believe in what they’re seeing,” she said.

That commitment is particularly important in a show that asks its performers to move quickly between mystery and slapstick without losing the characters or the clues buried amid the chaos. The audience may be laughing, but the suspects still have a murder to solve.

Amicus also plans to extend the mystery beyond the stage, incorporating interactive elements and games that audience members can participate in, including during intermission.

The company learned from putting on “Spelling Bee” earlier this year just how much the intimacy of the Fyda-Mar Stage can add to a production. That show became highly participatory and sold out quickly, prompting them to give “Clue” a longer run.

For a company that began with two attorneys missing the creative outlet they once shared in law school, this production represents another step toward building the kind of artistic community they envisioned.

“We think it’s going to be a really fun experience,” Aleece said. “We’re very excited about this show.”