Whodunnit Clue brings cast member Teddy Trice back to his hometown stage as the central foil in murder(s) most foul

Who doesn’t love a good drunken evening of murder, mayhem, and a candlestick in the conservatory?

PNC Broadway in Kansas City brings bloody mystery-comedy Clue to the Kauffman Center stage for a quick run, April 2 – 7, 2024.

Led by Broadway Director Casey Hushion (Associate Director of Mean Girls, choreography for the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), blackmail and corpses are on the To Do list when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget.

As a bonus to an exciting new interpretation of the classic board game and movie, part of the ensemble of in this show hails from Kansas City.

Teddy Trice (who plays The Cop in Clue) previously performed in the nationally touring company of Book of Mormon, but came up locally at a high school in Shawnee and attended Drury University in Springfield, before taking roles at HoA Shakespeare Fest, KC Rep shows, Coterie, Unicorn, and Kansas City Actors Theatre.

The Pitch spoke to Teddy Trice over phone while mid-production for Clue—touring through Wisconsin last week. We chatted about being madcap in adapting a beloved comedy, his favorite late night KC food spot, and his music career.

The Pitch: How long have you been with this production?

Teddy Trice: I’m a new member of the company. We started rehearsals at the end of January, but the audition process took a month. This is the first national tour of this new iteration of the show, so there was a lot to do. This production is mostly adapted off the movie that folks know, with a unique spin on it, but also there are plenty of elements from the board game added in on top. Fans of Clue in whatever its form are going to dig this.

Clue adaptations have been a fascination of mine since I was in 4th or 5th grade. I tried to write my own musical about it back then, then found out there already was one. And this movie. And a VHS-based board game that I now own and play with friends. What are some of the choices made around this adaptation that set it apart?

We’re definitely a play but there’s certainly a lot of music accompanying it. It’s rhythmic material that enhances the kinetic energy of what’s happening up on stage. It’s got the same mood as what the movie had, but it’s driven differently to match the kind of story we’re telling.

So you’re skewing close to the film. I guess I have to ask: are there multiple endings to your show?

No multiple endings. Good twists that you won’t expect, but I’m not going to spoil them. The show runs a little under 90 minutes, so that’s a freight train that, once it gets going, it just keeps going. It’s a big physical ask. The set itself is like a puzzle piece, and we’re running in and out of doors. People who aren’t alive are being moved around? It’s a lot of physical comedy and slapstick and heightened humor.

Tell me about coming up in KC and finding your space in theatre.

I grew up on Poseo and moved to Kansas side, over to Lenexa when I was eight or nine. I went to Trail Ridge and Shawnee Mission, then did a couple years at Johnson County Community College before transferring to Drury. My first real professional shows were at Coterie, and I was able to get my Equity Card there. Then my first breakthrough for national gigs was auditioning for Book of Mormon over at Arts Asylumn back in 2016, while the show was coming through town. That role brought me to New York City, but KC is my forever home and I’m so thankful to the community I grew up in.

How has your tour prepped itself against Covid running through a large touring crew?

We’re fortunate to have four understudies who cover all the roles—there’s at least two actors for every role. We’ll rehearse during the day, every day, so we can all tackle each part. If an emergency happens, as does with going city by city in a big show, we’re really committed to making sure the show still goes on while folks get healthy again. It’s a real, permanent problem we face moving forward, and having a reasonable plan for it is the best anyone can do.

What role do you understudy for?

Colonel Mustard.

Courtesy of Paper Mill Playhouse; photo by Evan Zimmerman/MurphyMade

What’s the most interesting part of taking on the cop character? It’s a lesser role than main cast, but whenever you’re on stage you have total control over the story and every character’s fate. 

It’s a full ensemble piece and watching how all the pieces fit together, night after night, is such a source of joy. It’s the height of hysteria and such a manic energy. My character gets to come in halfway through, blind to the whole thing, and it’s a challenge to fully interrupt the energy and flow with this terrifying brick wall that the narrative crashes into—a car crash for the main cast as they try to solve the mystery first. I get to play proxy for the audience, but also a wrench in the works. It’s a fun opportunity.

Tell me a little about your music career.

When I was out in Australia I released my first single. This was in 2018. It’s always something I wanted to do, having come up in musical theater, and always wanting to spend more time in the intertwined world of pop music. It’s been an interesting ride, and I like getting my own stamp on my brand of artistry—to have ownership over this. I released an EP a few years ago and when I have the chance I can’t wait to do more.

What’s most exciting to you about getting the pop back into your hometown?

Just the chance to give back a bit of what everybody here has poured into me. I played Music Hall back in 2019 and now I’m at Kauffman Center? It’s a dream of mine, and I was in awe of all the performers that ever came through these venues. It’s a blessing to be a hometown kid now standing up there, and I hope I help inspire some other kid’s artistic journey—to show them this is possible. Being a person in that position is invaluable. I’m so thankful for the performers that showed me it was possible, and I hope at least one kid sees me up there and knows this can be your life.

Finally, when you’re back in town for a week, what’s the one place you have to stop for food? What’s the meal you’ve missed the most?

We’re going to be down in the Crossroads so you know we’ll be at Town Topic. I just want that greasy burger and a milkshake and chance to introduce everyone to that specific hometown joy. Can’t wait to take the whole cast of Clue out Town Topic late at night.

PNC Broadway in Kansas City brings murder mystery comedy Clue has tickets available at Kauffman Center stage for a quick run, April 2 – 7, 2024.