Who Done It?
I double dated for dinner with a friend of mine last weekend, and I was kind of surprised where we went. It wasn’t the food that surprised me, it was…. The Atmosphere. See, if you’ve known me for awhile, you know that I just can’t do anything the normal way. That’s MUCH too boring, so we didn’t go to just any restaurant, we went to “Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre” It’s a restaurant, where during dinner, the “Servers” put on an interactive play during the meal. The table seating was 8 to a table, so we also met 2 other pleasant couples for dinner companions. It all reminded me of that game “Clue”. You know, Colonel Mustard, in the kitchen, with the candlestick?
In this Dinner Theatre, the play was set in the 1920’s, and involved a group of people, who were cast members in a movie production of “Love’s Summer Dream”. The cast of characters were your normal nefarious group of self important, jealous, conceited actors, singers and dancers and a director, who all barely could contain their apparent dislike of each other. In other words, a perfect setting for a Murder Mystery. The play also had audience participation, where they selected audience members to play small parts for a few minutes (fun!). Some audience members were even dressed up in 1920’s outfits, you know, like people used to do for Rocky Horror Picture Show? (Cool).
After the initial introduction of the characters, there was a short break in the play, while the Actors/Servers came around and served the salad, and while they served, they remained in character told little stories about “their character” and how they had come to be in the “movie production”, why they were the real star of the movie, and how much they despised all the other characters. Seemed to me like they were all setting themselves up with potential motives for “murder”.
So, around about the third act, during “rehearsals” for the film, The leading lady, Superstar past her prime “Louise Loveless”, discovers her makeup smudged, and retrieving her makeup bag from her personal assistant “Jewel Precious”, applies her lipstick, starts choking, and Falls Over Dead! Shocking! It appears the movie’s leading lady has been….. POISENED! Who could have done such a thing?
Was it “C.D. Weasel”, the flamboyant Producer/Director, who’s last 2 pictures failed, and desperately needed publicity for this picture, good, or bad? Or maybe it was “Fanny Fanciful” the Brooklyn accented Co-Star, who dreamed of being the Leading Lady? Or maybe, it might have been “Clara Simpson” The Child Star, who at 16 was past her prime, and looking for a starring “opportunity”. Why, it could have even been the personal assistant, “Jewel Precious”, who it turns out was treated very badly by Louise Loveless, so maybe the motive was nothing more than simple revenge. Or it even could have been one of the leading men “Edward Manly” the Macho Lead Actor, “Rudee Ballentine” the wannabe Shakespeare actor trapped in a “B-Movie” both of whom had their affections spurned by Louise, or even “Harold Joy”, the films comic role player,, who secretly was in Love with former child actor Clara. Hummmmm, seems like just about everybody involved had a reason to kill Louise.
We got to open the second part of our “Detective Packet”, and inside was another clue, plus a $50.00 play money, which we used to “bribe” the actors as they served us the main course. Naturally each one of them blamed someone else, so by the time we finished discussing it amongst our table, the only sure thing we knew was…. We didn’t know who did it.
So, the one thing missing, was the investigator, so into the play comes “Louella Snoop” the investigative columnist, who proceeds to unravel the clues, first seeming to point at one person as the murderer, only to reveal that no…. it couldn’t have been that person because because because…. Sigh, or maybe, the murderer was just trying to make it LOOK like it couldn’t be them. Who could the murderer be…….? There was a short break, while the main course dishes are cleared, and desert is brought out, while we take the opportunity to fill out our “Guess the murderer” cards. Questions on the card: Who did it, why did they do it, and were there any accomplices? The correct answer gets a small prize, a Mystery Mansion Coffee Mug. Did I mention I collect cool coffee mugs?
The final act, the entire cast gathers again on stage, and they each proceed to pick apart Louella Snoops assumptions one by one, until finally, to all the cast members, and of course the audience as well, it becomes obviously apparent that there is only one person that it could possibly be the killer. The identity of the murderer is……….
What? Did you think I was going to tell you?
Sorry, you’ll just have to go see it yourself. Or else ask me REAL Nicely, and Maybe….. Maybe I’ll tell ya. Overall, it was a very entertaining evening. BY the way, I guessed wrong :-)
http://mysterymansion.com/ 480-994-1520
In this Dinner Theatre, the play was set in the 1920’s, and involved a group of people, who were cast members in a movie production of “Love’s Summer Dream”. The cast of characters were your normal nefarious group of self important, jealous, conceited actors, singers and dancers and a director, who all barely could contain their apparent dislike of each other. In other words, a perfect setting for a Murder Mystery. The play also had audience participation, where they selected audience members to play small parts for a few minutes (fun!). Some audience members were even dressed up in 1920’s outfits, you know, like people used to do for Rocky Horror Picture Show? (Cool).
After the initial introduction of the characters, there was a short break in the play, while the Actors/Servers came around and served the salad, and while they served, they remained in character told little stories about “their character” and how they had come to be in the “movie production”, why they were the real star of the movie, and how much they despised all the other characters. Seemed to me like they were all setting themselves up with potential motives for “murder”.
So, around about the third act, during “rehearsals” for the film, The leading lady, Superstar past her prime “Louise Loveless”, discovers her makeup smudged, and retrieving her makeup bag from her personal assistant “Jewel Precious”, applies her lipstick, starts choking, and Falls Over Dead! Shocking! It appears the movie’s leading lady has been….. POISENED! Who could have done such a thing?
Was it “C.D. Weasel”, the flamboyant Producer/Director, who’s last 2 pictures failed, and desperately needed publicity for this picture, good, or bad? Or maybe it was “Fanny Fanciful” the Brooklyn accented Co-Star, who dreamed of being the Leading Lady? Or maybe, it might have been “Clara Simpson” The Child Star, who at 16 was past her prime, and looking for a starring “opportunity”. Why, it could have even been the personal assistant, “Jewel Precious”, who it turns out was treated very badly by Louise Loveless, so maybe the motive was nothing more than simple revenge. Or it even could have been one of the leading men “Edward Manly” the Macho Lead Actor, “Rudee Ballentine” the wannabe Shakespeare actor trapped in a “B-Movie” both of whom had their affections spurned by Louise, or even “Harold Joy”, the films comic role player,, who secretly was in Love with former child actor Clara. Hummmmm, seems like just about everybody involved had a reason to kill Louise.
We got to open the second part of our “Detective Packet”, and inside was another clue, plus a $50.00 play money, which we used to “bribe” the actors as they served us the main course. Naturally each one of them blamed someone else, so by the time we finished discussing it amongst our table, the only sure thing we knew was…. We didn’t know who did it.
So, the one thing missing, was the investigator, so into the play comes “Louella Snoop” the investigative columnist, who proceeds to unravel the clues, first seeming to point at one person as the murderer, only to reveal that no…. it couldn’t have been that person because because because…. Sigh, or maybe, the murderer was just trying to make it LOOK like it couldn’t be them. Who could the murderer be…….? There was a short break, while the main course dishes are cleared, and desert is brought out, while we take the opportunity to fill out our “Guess the murderer” cards. Questions on the card: Who did it, why did they do it, and were there any accomplices? The correct answer gets a small prize, a Mystery Mansion Coffee Mug. Did I mention I collect cool coffee mugs?
The final act, the entire cast gathers again on stage, and they each proceed to pick apart Louella Snoops assumptions one by one, until finally, to all the cast members, and of course the audience as well, it becomes obviously apparent that there is only one person that it could possibly be the killer. The identity of the murderer is……….
What? Did you think I was going to tell you?
Sorry, you’ll just have to go see it yourself. Or else ask me REAL Nicely, and Maybe….. Maybe I’ll tell ya. Overall, it was a very entertaining evening. BY the way, I guessed wrong :-)
http://mysterymansion.com/ 480-994-1520
posted by TomH | 2:16 PM
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