Most board games induce thoughts of vacation nights, childish arguments and the back of a dusty closet that hasn’t been touched since middle school.

But not Clue. A comical but chilling mystery, it transcended the table top to reach the silver screen in 1985, and this spring “Clue” set foot on Cal High’s drama stage for a three-night run that concludes tonight at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10.

“Clue” features six guests attending a party in an obscure mansion under given aliases: Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, Mr. Green, Ms. Scarlet, Mrs. Peacock, and Mrs. White. They encounter various house staff and, lastly, the host. But murder is as close and as quick as the flick of a nearby light switch.

On the stage, it’s anticipated to be a 90-minute blast that keeps the audience in fits of laughter and in suspense. Drama teacher Laura Woods describes it as equally entertaining for the actors.

“The most exciting aspect is how stylized it is,” Woods said. “It’s really great for my actors. There’s a lot of gasps, big moments, and really funny stage business that happens.”

Many of the lead stars are part of Cal’s improv team as well, so it’s no surprise that the stereotypical characters will be portrayed with natural chemistry and a flair of unique humor. 

“Compared to other casts, I feel like we have a really healthy relationship with each other, like everyone gets along,” senior Maya Chakravarthi (Yvette) said.

Part of the rapport in this tight-knit team stems from experience.

“We’ve been working with each other from freshman, [and] sophomore year,” senior Lia Roy (Ms. Peacock) said.

But one of  the largest hurdles when performing “Clue” isn’t memorization or nailing expressions, but the constantly dynamic set. 

“The play itself is a lot of moving parts, actors moving around for all lines, so we’re really trying to nail the blocking,” senior Miles Vetrovec, (Professor Plum) said.

Cal’s stage is a thrust stage, meaning it extends into the auditorium. All movement is and must be visible to the audience on all three sides. This presents a more engaging experience but also a challenge.

“There’s many different locations, just like in the board game, like the study, the hall, the lounge, the kitchen,” Woods said. “We can’t build walls because they would block a quarter of our audience. So we’ve had to find ways to put everything on wheels, and to turn things and to have a really quick turnover.”

As the play continues to move forward, some of the cast is looking to close their drama journey with the climatic closing of the “Clue” murder case.

“It’s going to be really sad because we’re leaving after this year and it’s going to be so much fun just to have this experience with everyone,” Chakravarthi said. 

Woods agrees that this is the perfect play, not only for the seniors but for the school continuing the momentum of returning to in-person school after a year stuck at home. 

“Coming off of quarantine time, I did not want to do something heavy and dramatic, so all our shows this year have been light,” Woods said. “This is just the right play for the right cast and tech crew right now.”