A few weeks ago I was contacted by a super-nice guy named Tom who is part of The Murder Mystery Co.
That's right.
The Murder Mystery Co.
As soon as I read it I knew EXACTLY what he was talking about.
Tom asked if I'd like to see a show and I was like...ummmm...YES!!!
A murder mystery is something I'd always wanted to be a part of...I mean, who hasn't seen these awesome dinner-theater shows played out on TV in almost every sitcom ever made? (Just between you and me, the murder mystery on Saved by the Bell was my favorite...no judging).
Now, if you're still unsure of what I'm talking about...here's a little snippet from the show's website:
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Here at The Murder Mystery Company we dish up three courses of mystery, intrigue, and murder in two hours of interactive, Clue style goodness that happens right in front of your table. The moment you walk through the door you will be immersed in a thrilling whodunit experience, mingling with crazy characters and shady suspects in a game of murder you get to play!As you enjoy a delicious three course meal, the plot will unfold and someone will drop dead (in a comedic way, of course). As the night continues you will get to interrogate the suspects, gather the clues, and work with your team to help our mystery experts crack the case before the killer gets away!We have a variety of themes that change periodically, so you can enjoy a murder mystery dinner show like nothing you’ve ever experienced before! Become a repeat offender - catch all our different shows and show our masters of mystery who the real super sleuth is......So awesome, right???Tom got our show reservations all set up and we invited some of our best friends to join us for the evening.
Because the show is full of audience participation, you are asked to dress up in the style of the show's theme. The theme of our show was "Best Laid Plans - An Old Hollywood Whodunit" and it was so much fun! Our little group dressed in just fancier clothes...but when we arrived we saw that some people had gone all out with their costumes! It was really so cool...women with feather boas & gloves, men wearing 3piece suits and hats - really everyone looked so great...it makes me wish I had put some more thought into my outfit!
A little lesson...just to get into the mood of the show...
When we arrived at the venue we grabbed a few drinks at the bar and then were told that seating was beginning. We had our photos taken (with props!) and we were greeted by our host for the evening - Warren Peace - the owner of the "house" where the evening would take place and that night's murder victim (insert that dah-dah-DAH sound effect here).
Our greeting from our host...Warren Peace
Mr. Peace's maid, Oola La (seriously, the character's names were great...), led us to our seats and made sure we were comfortable.
And once everyone was seated, the evening began.
The "detective" assigned to the soon-to-be murder came around to all of the tables to introduce himself and to let us know how the mystery would go down...he also took this time to assign suspect roles to a number of people. My husband was even assigned to be a suspect! It was really pretty cool!
Doug as "Professor Purple"
All of the "rules" of the evening were laid out and the mystery was underway...
Each of the chosen suspects was given a backstory they were allowed to share with everyone at their table. We were asked to circulate the room to ask questions of the actors and about the other suspects' stories - well, we actually had to bribe them for information (with "money" provided by the show)...and, every so often, one of the actors would divulge new information to us that would help us to solve the mystery.
The actors & audience "suspects" laying out some of the clues
By the end of the 2 hours, we had eaten a great meal and had acquired, presumably, all the info we needed to figure out the murderer. We were given just a few minutes to decide (as a table) whodunit and why and to write that information down.
And guess what??? Our table figured it out correctly! We solved the case! We didn't win the award at the end of the night, however, because a different table had a better explanation of what happened than we did - but we went home with the satisfaction of knowing how awesome we are at murder investigations...(smile).
We had such a good time at the show...we all laughed out loud and really enjoyed the evening.
The actors were really fantastic, too...really funny and great at improv. I mean - how hard must it be to act when half of the people you're working with have no idea what's going on?
All in all, the show was wonderful...and it was definitely something I would do again.
How about you? Have you ever seen a murder mystery show? Did you even know they were a real thing???
The Murder Mystery Co. has 2 types of events...public shows (like the one we attended) and private events. So cool, right? Can you imagine booking a murder mystery for an office or birthday party? Fun!!! Check out murdermysterydinnerchicago.com for all the info...
And guess what? If you head over to The Murder Mystery Co. right now you can get 50% off your tickets! What?! I know! Half-price, baby!
There are a number of different shows at 2 different venues in Chicagoland - but The Murder Mystery Co. has shows all over the US, so if you aren't close to Chicago - no worries! You can still be part of a fantastic evening! Click here to get more info on shows outside of Illinois.
Thank you so much to Tom & to The Murder Mystery Co. for a great Saturday night!
DISCLOSURE: Our party was provided tickets to this show in exchange for a review. All opinions are mine, though...and I thought this show was wonderful.
