Fans of the cult classics “Clueless” and “Bring It On” should get ready for a night of nostalgic fun and thrilling mystery in Astoria with “Bring a Clueless Killer On,” a unique murder mystery starring Nicole Bilderback from the iconic films.
The special event will take place at the Hellenic Cultural Center, located at 25-02 Newtown Ave. in Astoria, for a weekend-long showing with Bilderback at the center, who played Summer in the 1995 film, “Clueless,” and Whitney in the 2000 cheerleader classic, “Bring It On.” The limited edition showing will be the actress’s first time taking to the stage, a moment made even more special with “Clueless’” 30th anniversary this year.
“When I first moved to L.A., I’d only been living there a year when I booked Clueless, and that was my very first movie ever,” said Bilderback. “And this will be my first time to be on any kind of stage in New York, especially headlining, and it was scary to me, so I thought, ‘Why don’t I step outside of my comfort zone and get that experience in?”
The play, which is a musical comedy crime mystery, is the 10th iteration in the Cristi’s Case Crackers series, written and directed by Andrew Cristi. The series offers a light-hearted spoof on Agatha Christie-style murder mysteries and usually centers around a celebrity headliner. Bilderback first met Cristi a couple of years ago after she did a photo spread and interview for Wingman Magazine and stayed in touch since then.
Cristi approached Bilderback about being part of his latest project at the start of the summer, and since then, Bilderback has been rehearsing with the cast via Zoom as Bilderback is based in California. Bilderback has been rehearsing in person the week prior to the play, where she plays the role of the head cheerleader coach in the fun mashup of both films.
“We take the characters from ‘Clueless’ and ‘Bring It On’ and they all play combinations of two characters from both movies, so you’ll even see a mash-up of a name,” said Bilderback. “It takes place in college, and the whole message is women supporting women and we should be looking after one another and working together, and of course, a crime happens and we have to try to figure it out.”
The play will have plenty of nods to the original films, including popular quotes and references to the films that the production is inspired by. The play offers a fun and unique take on the popular films and will open Friday, Aug. 29, and Saturday, Aug. 30, at 8 p.m. with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. The play is fun for all audience members, whether one or both films are their all-time favorite movies, or they are experiencing the worlds of “Clueless” and “Bring It On” for the first time.
“Both films have really stood the test of time,” said Bilderback. “The fan base for both films covers three generations-it ‘s Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z. When there are teenagers that are fans of both films, that’s so rare, and it’s crazy how both films have been a staple for everyone in some way, shape, or form.”
To purchase tickets, go to their website or through the link on Nicole’s Instagram here.
