New YSU musical theater lecturer finds a ‘Clue’ waiting for him
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Dan Klimczak wasn't involved in the selection of "Clue: The Musical," which opens Friday at Youngstown State University.
The season already was scheduled when he was hired as a visiting lecturer of musical theater for 2026-27, but he couldn't be happier about the choice.
"During my very first meeting with everybody, my first interview, they told me, 'If you were to take this job, you’d be directing 'Clue,'" Klimczak said. "That’s fantastic because I’ve done 'Clue.' I did it a couple years ago, and I’ve been in love with this show for probably nine or 10 years or so. It’s always been one of my favorites."
When he first discovered the show in high school, he tried to convince his theater teacher to allow him to direct it.
"She laughed in my face, justifiably so," he said.
The musical is based on the popular board game where players use a process of elimination to determine who is a murderer, where the murder took place and what weapon was used for the deadly blow. The game features six suspects, six possible rooms in a large mansion as the scene of the crime and six different weapons.
The musical -- which has a book by Peter DePietro, lyrics by Tom Chiodo and music by Galen Blum, Wayne Barker, and Vinnie Martucci -- features the same options as the game.
Host Mr. Boddy invites the audience to play along, and three audience members each choose one of the cards. Those cards are sealed in an envelope on stage and are not opened until the end. That means there are 216 possible options, and the actors have to be ready for whatever cards are revealed.
"This show is difficult for my cast," Klimczak said. "It changes every single night, and nobody knows how it changes until we start the show. Having done the show before -- I was the scenic designer and the male swing, so I covered all of the male roles in the show -- I know how difficult it is to bring this show to life and to be on your toes for the entire show.
"I think that comes through with my directing style. I think that they would tell you that I’m an actor’s director. I have a vision for what I want, but I also like for them to play with it. I like for them to make their own choices and to have fun with it and bring themselves into the character."
The student cast includes Noah Dudai as Mr. Boddy, Natalie Horvath as Mrs. Peacock, Robert Channell as Mr. Green, Sam Nabring as Colonel Mustard, Jacora Goode as Miss Scarlett, Benjamin Podnar as Mrs. White, Karianne Rateno of as the Detective and Owen Mills as Professor Plum with Landon Eli as the male swing and Cadence Watson as the female swing.
The game Clue also inspired a 1985 film version, "Clue: The Movie," which in turn became a frequently produced stage production. Klimczak stressed the musical is based on the board game, not the movie. That will be reflected in the look of the show, which includes scenic design by Todd Dicken, costume design by Katherine Garlick, lighting design by Gunnar Carwille and Jonathan Zelezniak as technical and lighting advisor.
Joe Spurio is music supervisor, Eric Babble is conductor, and Jessica Sprague is stage manager.
"It is 100% based on Clue the board game, and I think that audiences coming to see it will definitely get that vibe from it," Klimczak said. "There’s an actual pool table in the quote unquote billiard room on the set. If you know the board game, you’ll recognize the yellow blocks that are in the hallways throughout every room. We’ve incorporated those yellow blocks and the green color scheme into the set, and that was all Todd. He had the amazing idea to do that."
WHAT: "Clue: The Musical"
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 22
WHERE: Ford Theater, Bliss Hall, Youngstown State University
HOW MUCH: Tickets are $18 for adults, $14 for senior citizens and non-YSU students, $10 for YSU faculty and staff, $7 for children ages 18 and younger and free for YSU students and are available online at www.ysu.tix.com and by calling 330-941-3105.