Without a Clue
by Stewart Matthews
A blockbuster cast of Ottawa’s top talent invite you to a special dinner party where murder is on the menu. Please hang up your coat, choose your weapon and make yourself at home. Two award-winning companies (from 52 Pick-up, Bookworm and G-Men Defectives) bring you blackmail, bodies and bureaucracy in this manic whodunit. A new twist on a classic game.
Garkin Productions
Ottawa ON
Venue 1- Alumni Auditorium
Comedy
General
| Date | Time | Buy Tickets |
| Friday June 20 | 18:30 | |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday June 21 | 23:00 | |
| Wednesday June 25 | 19:30 | |
| Friday June 27 | 23:00 | |
| Saturday June 28 | 17:00 | |
| Sunday June 29 | 16:00 |
NatalieJoy
June 11th, 2008For photos of the show, check out http://www.enigmaproductions.info/html/media_wac.htm
NatalieJoy
June 19th, 2008Check out today’s Ottawa Citizen… Without a Clue is one of their 10 recommendations!
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/arts/story.html?id=5d48fecb-8a86-4a1e-a46b-a24b2a83987b
Andrew Alexander
June 21st, 2008I saw their opening night performance on Friday. Don’t miss this show, it is a lot of fun!
Eddie...
June 22nd, 2008So I, like MANY others last night, was drawn in by the gimmick, the fancy posters and cards to go see Without a Clue. That’s ALL it is though, a gimmick. There’s no substance to the show whatsoever. I was expecting a whole lot more but sat there wishing that the prop weapons would make their way to my seat so I could put myself out of my misery. The timing was slow and the script was WEAK. I haven’t seen the others perform before with the exception of the former Screwed and Clued guy, but in their description of the play, they called the cast a “blockbuster cast”. Screwed and Clued guy Matthews should have blown me away like every other time I’ve seen him on stage. Here’s how it REALLY happened…it was the SHOW, with the SCRIPT, in Alumni Hall that KILLED me…
Thea Nikolic
June 22nd, 2008I would just like to thank everyone who came out to our first 11PM show last night. You were a wonderful audience! Thank you all so much for your support!
Brian M. Carroll
June 22nd, 2008With many fine performers coming to Ottawa on the Fringe circuit, it’s possible to ignore local companies.
(In loud, sonorous, basso profundo voice) THIS WOULD BE A MISTAKE!
Such is true of Enigma Productions and Garkin Productions, members of which have themselves toured the Fringe circuit.
Although Stewart Matthews, Ray Besharah and Natalie Joy Quesnel are well known on the circuit, director Quesnel makes sure that all actors in this ensemble piece, including Zachary Counsil, Jody Haucke, Thea Nikolic, and Michael Showler, get their share of the limelight.
If they can find it.
And therein lies a clue to “Without a Clue”. The hapless characters of the classic board game bumble about, trying to find their way around the rooms of the mansion to which they’ve all had a mysterious invitation. All, that is, but Mr. Body (who is curiously still alive), Wadsworth the butler, and Mrs. White the cook (who remains offstage in kitchen).
They also bumble about trying discover their blackmailer in the mayhem that follows before the police arrive (called by Wadsworth).
Combining the physicality of Matthew’s former company, Screwed and Clued, with the hammy farce of Besharah’s company, Garkin Productions, Quesnel has put together a piece of summer cotton candy based on Matthews’ script.
Yes, there are a few references to Parliament Hill and our esteemed Mayor, but make no mistake, this little romp is just a bit of summer silliness. Search not for the redeeming social value of Screwed and Clued.
And fine silliness it is. (Even the Fringe Festival blurb is a send-up: blockbuster cast, top talent.) To be enjoyed for what it is.
Last night’s late show audience laughed heartily. There were cast from at least six other companies in the audience. (I hear the beer tent was emptied.) Kris Joseph’s laugh (and many others) drowned out mine.
Blow an hour on some guffaws. Thank Zeus for summer.
But don’t forget what your momma told you after you had the cotton candy: brush your teeth and floss.
Disappointed
June 22nd, 2008WOW, that was around 50 minutes of my life I can never get back. As Eddie MAY said, i too was curious and drawn in by GIMMICK and also had seen Screwed and Clued in the past - and that is all this show is. I prayed for a quick death, and was quite angered that they put me through such a bad play. Sorry guys…nice energy, costumes and set but that is it.
Thea Nikolic
June 22nd, 2008I would like to thank all those who came to our show last night. You were an awesome audience. We heard you laughing and enjoying yourselves and we did as welland we were feeding off of your energy and excitement that you gave us. For our first 11 pm show, it was you who made it a real success. Thank you all for your support and for coming out last night.
Myra Ellen Amos
June 22nd, 2008This play is a direct line-for-line rip off of the 1985 film “Clue.” Played by an all Eddie May cast, in classic Eddie May style (insert cheap joke with vague reference to Ottawa here), the program gives big thanks to Eddie May Mysteries and absolutely no credit to the writers of the movie whatsoever. The film “Clue” is brilliant. This plagiarized live adaptation is anything but. Do yourself a favour - go download the film and save your $10 for a truly original Fringe show (or at least one that credits the real scriptwriter).
Toni :)
June 22nd, 2008“Without a Clue” was awesome! It was fun, colorful and hilarious!
The cast really got into their roles and much merriment was had!
Good job ya’ll!!
Mike K
June 22nd, 2008A large round of applause to the cast of Without a Clue! I found myself captivated by the performance i saw late Saturday night.
The key to a good show is entertainment, to sacrifice yourself to the fantasy on stage. There was hardly a moment i found myself not drawn into the the show or taken up into the crowds infectious laughter. In this respect With out a Clue was flawless.
Each member of the troupe brought a certain flare to their respective roles. Like the lovely Thea Nikolic, kept up a sultry charm even as an animated corpse, or the delightful Jody Haucke whose height and stature won us all over with his “stiff doctor” act.
I do not say this lightly, a performance filled with a “Blockbuster cast”
I suggest taking the time and enjoying a good belly laugh with without a clue :)
Erin
June 22nd, 2008I don’t think I laughed once the whole show. What a disappointment. I knew going it that it was based of the movie, but I still expected something different, something with a bit of edge, or something. Sadly, it was pure cheese, no talent or thought.
This show was written for Eddie May, and it’s obvious. It should never have made it to the Fringe, such blatant copyright infringement is simply lame.
Tara
June 22nd, 2008What a wonderful evening! I laughed from start to finish and I was most certainly not alone. Their standing ovation at the end of the night was well earned and well deserved! This clever whodunnit comedy featuring incredible local talent should not be missed!
NatalieJoy
June 22nd, 2008We’re sorry for any disappointment our show might have caused. We are aware that while making of a parody of the movie Clue, bits of the actual movie (which we love and adore like many of our reviewers) has made it into our text. Alas, we never promised to be as good as Tim Curry or Madeline Kahn. However, we will make sure that from now on our program notes reflect that our play is an adaptation. Cheers!
Joe Fox
June 23rd, 2008A pretty disappointing show — there was so much talent on stage, it seemed… all lazily wasted on a script that had no reason to exist other than to rip off the 80s film.
Gemma Wilcox
June 23rd, 2008Whether you have seen the movie or not (I haven’t), this show is well worth seeing. It’s slickly, sharply, and intelligently performed, directed and written. I was particularly intrigued by the board game references in this production, and the bizarre self recognition and subsequent confusion that the characters/players underwent on their appearance on the board/show/game/world/stage…
Having said that, it is also a barrel of laughs (full of sexy, saucy innuendos and quirky asides) and a jolly good, light night out to see some mystery murder theatre. Go and be entertained by this very accomplished ensemble…I was.
Joan
June 23rd, 2008I thought the play was very good - and laughed a lot. It was an hour well spent, and it was what I expected - a bit of a spoof on Clue game and classic Agatha Christie mysteries. Hard to put all that into 50 minutes but - well done!
Fiona Currie
June 23rd, 2008A great bit of fun and very tight performances when I saw it despite the 11 p.m. slot.
Sorry to see that it’s turning out to be a “love it or hate it” show and that it isn’t clear to everyone that the show is an hommage to the movie, not a rip off. At least that was my take on it. The underlying plot is necessarily similar, but the precisely choreographed movement, setting amidst the rarified political air of Ottawa, and the performances of this dream cast of Ottawa actors make it a completely unique show.
I guess my recommendation has to be: if a light and silly farce of a murder mystery sounds like good fun, go see it!
NatalieJoy
June 23rd, 2008From Alvina Ruprecht - CBC Radio
http://www.cbc.ca/ottawamorning/theatre.html
“Natalie Joy Quesnel and Stewart Matthews are the dynamic duo in Ottawa theatre.”
“The fast pace kept us guessing. It’s really well choreographed by Quesnel and it’s pure fun.”
Brenda
June 23rd, 2008As a theatre fan, I believe a show is successful if it entertains in some fashion. “Without a Clue ” does exactly that, it “entertains” As I approached the stage at Alumni Hall,I was taken in by the distinctive “game board” style set. To my delight, Quesnel’s cleverly choregragphed “moves” and the talents of the actors in their brillantly designed costumes, brought the quirky “game board” characters to life..or death, as the case may be. I had as much fun watching this murder mystery as the actors seemed to have unfolding this enagaging story. And it is really funny!!!! I do not have to be lead down a deep dark path littered with angst and or pathos and foul and or heady language, to feel I have seen a good “fringe” show. So if you want to be truly entertained, in “lighter” way….see “Without a Clue” Fluff is good..fluff is fun!
Sam Awwad
June 23rd, 2008Wow - this is like “The Passion of the Clue”! I think you can start marketing this as the most controversial play at the Fringe.
As for the play… The cast looks to be having a lot of fun during this show. The Set is neat -as well as the nod to the board game. The night I went - a lot of the audience had fun. Folks this is a spoof - so yes it is going to be gimmiky(sp) it is going to borrow from the original(thats what send ups do - as they are often done in honour of the original) it may not be everybody’s cup of tea, and as with any show - you are not going to please everybody, as is seen in some of these comments - but i dont think there is any need to insult the people involved in the production as that is just classless.
Break legs for the rest of the run Clue Cast!
TOM
June 23rd, 2008I was there the 2nd night of the show and it was 11pm. There I was thinking to myself . . . “that’s quite a lot of ppl for 11pm show” . . . Through out the whole show, I hear a lot of laughing from everywhere (include myself). So all in all I had a “GREAT” time!
sorry for bad grammar/spellings
Don Kirkby
June 24th, 2008Wow! I don’t know what kind of serious drama some of these commenters were expecting from a 45 minute play based on a boardgame, but I went with the expectation of having a few light laughs — and I wasn’t disappointed in the least. I was at the 11pm Saturday night show as were many many others. Everyone laughed their asses off (me included) because the characters were colourful, shticky, and extremely energetic. In particular, I loved Ray Beshara’s manic facial contortions and Stewart Mathews’s fast paced narration. The jokes in the show were sometimes a little cheesy, but it fit right in with the effect I think they were trying to achieve, and they more than deserved the standing ovation we gave them. As for energy, the entire cast exuded more than I could muster on even the best of days. Colonel Mustard seemed to lose about a litre of sweat throughout the show. The only problem I could really see with this show was maybe that you don’t really get to know the characters that much before people start dying. I didn’t really care about them as people. But honestly, I don’t think that hindered my ability to appreciate the show for what it was: a whole bunch of silly.
All in all, I thought this was pretty much the perfect Fringe show. It had great, well-timed comedy mixed with a fantastic concept.
Leslie
June 25th, 2008Simply fantastic - thanks for a great time and lots of laughs!
Niki
June 26th, 2008Went to see “Without a Clue” and totally enjoyed myself (as did my companions). As others have previously stated, the show is a whole lot of silliness and fun, a wonderful way to give your brain a rest from all the angst and misery that is often found in our world.
So, if you have a sweet tooth or strong sense of fun, be sure to go see “Without a clue” with your friends! The entire candy box of fun is there to sample! Wonderful costumes, great timing and delivery on the lines, a nod to Dr Who and Inspector Gadget, amazing energy from an extremely talented cast, and last but not least, kudos for the “slick” advertising and “gimmicks” and awesome set design! Garkin Productions and Enigma productions have certainly raised the bar (and even cleared it if what I’ve heard is true about the beer tent on Saturday night!) which means other companies will have to step up their game for next year. I look forward to what the “dynamic duo” have in store for us next year!
Ladies and gentlemen, all this really means for the actors, participants, volunteers, the audience and the Fringe management team is that next year will be even better!
Jennifer
June 29th, 2008It seems as though people have already mentioned this, but this show was extremely similar to the film “Clue”. I guess it was treading the line, moving between adaptation and parody. The actors are all very good, and one or two of the “bits” are very funny, but there was something about the style of humour that seemed off. Old-fashioned, but not in a good, nostalgic way. It was as if they put an old funny-book on stage. I don’t know if this is a giveaway, but there’s a three minute+ (no exaggeration) pause near the beginning of the play where the actors are just standing there, making little movements, but basically doing nothing. It was that kind of thing that annoyed me. It was well acted, but the production was either beyond me, or just flawed.
They said there would be a prize on Sunday, though, so at least there are perks.
Matthew
June 29th, 2008Congrats to the “Clue Crew” on their Best of Fest/Venue (they seem to be calling it both) win! Remember, communism was just a red herring.
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