After the successful performance of Clue came to a close with nearly 1000 tickets sold, Director Nicholas Smith had an idea for a matinee show for the understudies, which quickly grew into a one night only revival performance.

This is the second understudy performance. Back in 2017  Combs Curtain Call performed “You’re a good man Charlie Brown” and added a matinee performance for the understudies. 

“They showed they were performance ready, they had good characterization and for that we had a weird rehearsal process but the actors had a lot of extra time,” Smith said “The kids were able to build up a really good knowledge of the show.”

The original “Clue” cast performance was a big deal to a lot of people involved because the show ended up being a big hit. The performers were observed by Arizona State Thespian judges on closing night. 

“ It was never about winning a plaque or trophy but the recognition and support from other Thespians,” Smith said, “If we get selected I am hoping to share this show that we have loved working on, that we have enjoyed building and that we have enjoyed celebrating.”

A few of the understudies have only played minor roles in other shows. Sophomore Madison Amack has only been in “Trap” by Stephen Gregg as an ensemble member. 

“I am scared, this is only the second play I have acted in. It is a big transition from ensemble to lead,” Amack said, “I could do bad and nobody would know but then if I miss a line then the whole show is over. I want to be an actor but it has been a big adjustment.”

Nerves were wracking from not only the performers but from the technical crew as well.

“To be honest when we brought up the idea I was nervous because it took us six months to do the first runthrough of the clue let alone to bring a second performance within a couple weeks,” stage manager Susanna Apsell said “I feel more confident because the understudies have shown more improvement in their characters.” 

Everyone was curious as to why Smith did not think of this before the set was taken down as the understudy performance was not set in stone until after. Scenic and paint designer Rory Brislin had her crew take the set down and rebuild it after the news of the revival show. 

“It is an interesting experience because you have to modify things and see what went well the first time and what didn’t. The smallest issues cause the biggest problems, it hasn’t been easy to fix it all but it has been a journey.” Brislin said.

Not all of the actors had understudies. Senior Christian Tillard played Mr Plum for a lead role and then Mr Boddy in the Revival show. 

“Playing a character that wasn’t mine was a little bit of a challenge but also very fun,” Tillard said, “We as original leads also got to watch our understudies bring the role that we played to life. I think the understudy show went pretty good.”