Review: Cluedo 2 on this week in Cambridge

Cluedo 2, a new comedy mystery written by famed sitcom writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran and directed by Mark Bell of The Play That Goes Wrong fame, is on this week at the Cambridge Arts Theatre.

The touring stage play, something of a chaotic whodunnit, is based on one of the most iconic board games of all time and is set in the 1960s.

It stars Heartbeat and Casualty actor Jason Durr as Colonel Mustard and 2023 Strictly Come Dancing champion Ellie Leach, who is making her stage debut, as Miss Scarlett.

The play got off to a rather slow start and early on I felt it could go either way as to whether I would enjoy it or not.

However, the pace picked up and things began to improve with the arrival of the brilliant and hilarious Jack Bennett as Wadsworth and Gabriel Paul as Reverend Hal (not Al) Green, who also had some very funny lines immediately following his arrival.

The other actors also did well in their roles, especially Dawn Buckland as put-upon housekeeper Mrs White, and I enjoyed the quirky scene changes, exaggerated reactions and movements, and the kitsch, 60s-esque dance routines.

The lyrics to some famous songs of the decade were also cleverly woven into the script, and the slightly ‘kooky’ set brought colour and a real ‘60s feel’, reminiscent of early Scooby Doo episodes, to the proceedings.

The second half began brightly as the plot became ever more complex, keeping the audience guessing right until the end with some well-written twists and turns.

Humour-wise, despite some very amusing moments - mainly courtesy of the aforementioned Jack Bennett - overall I didn’t find the play as funny as The Play That Goes Wrong, but I would still say it’s definitely worth seeing.

[Read more: Cluedo 2: Comedy and murder mystery combine for ‘riotous evening’, Comedy masters Marks and Gran on Cluedo 2: ‘There’s no nudity, swearing or blood… but loads of murders’]

Cluedo 2 runs until Saturday (30 March) at the Cambridge Arts Theatre. Tickets, priced £25-£49, are available from cambridgeartstheatre.com.