Classic whodunit game Clue comes to life with bona fide forensics — July 24, 2018

The Franklin Institute will become the scene of a (fictional) murder for this Science After Hours event.

Lesley Ann Warren, Colleen Camp and Eileen Brennan stand on the set of the movie

Lesley Ann Warren, Colleen Camp and Eileen Brennan stand on the set of the movie "Clue," May 19, 1985. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

The Fine Print

Science After Hours: Clue
July 24, 7-10 p.m.
The Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St., Philadelphia
Tickets: $20 for the general public, $15 for members

Was it Mrs. White in the conservatory with the lead pipe (and the tell-tale fingerprints)? Or Professor Plum in the ballroom with the revolver (and the scientifically accurate ballistics report)?

Later this month, visitors to the Franklin Institute’s popular “Science After Hours” series will try to solve a murder mystery a la the classic game — and camp-tastic film – “Clue.” But whereas the board game involves merely the process of deduction, players at “Science After Hours” will have other tools at their disposal: actual forensics.

“The accuracy of what a candlestick to the head might look like, we might discover how that blood spatter would be created,” said Adam Piazza, adult programs specialist at the Franklin Institute.

Players will explore the whole museum looking for clues and speaking to characters in this fictional murder mystery, while partners including Rutgers Forensic Sciences, the Drexel Society of Engineers, and the Center for Forensic Science, Education, and Research run demonstrations on the real science behind crime solving.

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“The museum is about bringing in the spirit of discovery,” said Piazza. “We’re really trying hard to make sure it feels both true to the game — with access to secret spaces, the way it’s laid out — but also the movie. The movie had a good level of camp to it, and we’re bringing those two worlds together in a science museum.”

“Science After Hours,” for those 21 and over, takes place at the museum once a month, with a cash bar and themes such as “Wizard School” and “Party Like a Rock Star.” This month, attendees are invited to come in costume.

“I can imagine there are a handful of people out there who have a Col. Mustard costume they’ve been dying to use,” said Piazza. “Perfect opportunity.”

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