Michael Mufson is a full-time professor of Theatre Arts here at Palomar College and the director of our production Clue. Come along as he shares his vision, the inside scoop, and why you’ll love this murdery comedy!
Q: What drew you to direct Clue?
Michael: This was chosen by the popular demand of the students. Every semester I put out a survey to students to find out what they’re interested in doing and Clue came up a bunch of times. I’m really excited to serve the student’s desire for this play.
Q: In three words, how would you describe your vision for this production?
Michael: Number one, fun. Number two, murder. Number three, intensity.
Q: How do you approach balancing the murder mystery with the comedy?
Michael: Fortunately, I have a great script to work with, so it all ties together. The urgency of solving the mystery and finding the blackmail evidence, all these things play into the characters’ exaggerated nature. Then, there’s a stylistic sort of precision to how moments are played. It all works together, weaves together beautifully.
Q: How has working with the cast been like?
Michael: The cast is fantastic. I was really lucky to have a huge turnout for the auditions, so I really got to pick some very, very skilled and experienced actors to play this challenging, highly stylized kind of comedy and they’ve just been on top of it from the beginning and completely enthusiastic and willing to take risks and take on the challenge of playing these characters.
Q: What has been the biggest challenge of putting Clue on stage?
Michael: Hmm, well, I’d say the biggest challenge really is scenically, because there’s so many different rooms in Body Manner, and the rooms have to come on stage and off stage while there’s action happening, keeping the action fluid and moving, constantly moving, constantly moving forward while set pieces are moving on and off stage. I think that is the biggest challenge.
Q: Without giving anything away, what should audiences be watching for?
Michael: They should be watching how their bodies react to the urgency of the mystery, and I think they will find themselves getting pulled more and more onto the edge of their seats until they fall over in laughter.
Q: Do audiences need to know the board game or the movie before seeing this play?
Michael: Absolutely not! Audiences will not need to know the board game or the movie in order to enjoy the play. It is completely self-contained and extremely fun!
Q: What has been your favorite moment from rehearsal so far?
Michael: There’s a scene where the characters are searching for evidence throughout the house, Body Manner, which is this huge house. Every character goes through every door once, so creating that kind of rhythmic choreographed chaos on stage has been super fun and exciting to execute.
Q: If you were a character in Clue, who would you be?
Michael: I’d be most likely cast as Mr. Body; I get cast as the evil white guy a lot. In my fantasy, I would play Scarlet. She is just the smartest, sharpest character who has the wit and the most power to undermine somebody by intimidating them, making them uncomfortable, or pulling the rug out from under them. So, I think she would be really fun to play.
Q: Finish the sentence, you should come see Clue because…
Michael: …it’s super fun and it will be a great escape from all of the craziness and madness that we’re experiencing in the real world. Come escape for a while to a fun, ridiculous, silly, over-the-top comedy mystery!
