For Strictly Come Dancing champion and former Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach and ex-Heartbeat and Casualty actor Jason Durr, the chance to play Miss Scarlett and Colonel Mustard in Cluedo 2 – The Next Chapter were roles they both simply couldn’t turn down.
We sat down with the pair to discuss the show, going on tour, and the board game’s 75th birthday celebrations ahead of the show-stopping at Norwich Theatre Royal between 2 and 6 July.
Are you excited to go on tour with the show?
Ellie: This is my first stage play, and I am very excited to be playing Miss Scarlett. It is nerve-wracking as it’s something completely different to TV but I really want to push myself out of my comfort zone. A year ago, I would never have expected Strictly, then the Strictly arena tour, and now Cluedo 2 to happen. I am so grateful as Miss Scarlett is such an iconic character to play.
Jason: I have done an enormous amount of television, but there is nothing quite like performing in front of a live audience and making people laugh. I am looking forward to going back to my roots, acting on stage, and getting my funny bones going again in the form of this rip-roaring comedy. When I read the scripts for the first time, I was in a quiet coach on a train and I started hooting with laughter! A lady told me to be quiet, but I couldn’t help but laugh throughout. It’s going to be phenomenal to bring comedy and a classic whodunnit to the stage where the audience get to be the detective.
Tell us about your characters.
Ellie: At first, Miss Scarlet seems like butter won’t melt. She is an interior designer, and she seems very unassuming. But as the play develops, well… people may not be quite what they seem. Cluedo is, after all, a thriller and murder mystery game!
Jason: We are going to be reinventing the narrative. Rick Black is a rock star in the play, and Mustard is his manager. Like Elvis had the Colonel, this chap has Mustard! He thinks he knows what he is doing, but he doesn’t really.
Jason: This isn’t the first time I’ve played Colonel Mustard,” jokes Jason. “I used to play him and the game as a kid. I grew up in Hong Kong, and the one game we loved was Cluedo. I’ve introduced it to my children now, too.
What is it like going on tour? Will your family come and see you?
Jason: It’s never great leaving home, but you make it work. My wife and children will definitely be coming to watch. It will be a chance for us to have a giggle. I think I look rather fetching in yellow!
Ellie: My family can’t wait to come and watch me in this show. Obviously after going on tour with Strictly, I have now had experience of living out of a suitcase and what is great about this show is I am going to be going back to acting again.
2024 marks a very special landmark for the famous Hasbro board game – its 75th birthday. How do you feel to be a part of the games birthday celebrations?
Jason: To be part of the 75th birthday celebrations is going to be exciting. I really hope we will make the audience laugh every time as we bring to life, live action versions of Cluedo’s famous characters on stage.
What should people expect when they come and see the show?
Ellie: I love how Cluedo 2 is perfect for everyone in the family, and it is lovely how, thanks partly now to The Traitors, too, people really enjoy murder mysteries!
When I spoke to Mark about how the play felt a bit like The Traitors, he agreed. He said ’yes, everyone is trying to suss everyone out!’ I can’t wait for everyone to come and watch it.
Cluedo 2 is at Norwich Theatre Royal between 2 – 6 Jul. For more information, or to book, visit norwichtheatre.org or call the Box Office on 01603 630 000.