I'd been meaning to go to a show for quite some time and finally made it; a friend works for the show and her descriptions of their shows piqued my interest. I'd only been to a murder-mystery type show once before, but different than this one, in that that show was almost entirely audience-driven with scripts we had to spend the evening reading. Unless you happened to be at a table with some outgoing/fun individuals, there was a chance you're evening wouldn't be quite the entertainment you'd paid for.
I really enjoyed the show. As the Dinner Detective's website describes, most of the show's actors are interspersed into the audience, and at the beginning of the night, you don't know who are fellow guests and who are a part of the entertainment. You spend the evening trying to resolve, not only who in the room is a part of the show, but trying to sleuth which of them is the prime suspect. It made for fun questioning over the course of the night, and since real audience members were often pulled into the show, you couldn't be certain you were right about the guests versus actors. The lead actors' for my show, i.e., the "detectives," were loads of fun and very good at improv. The entire room had many fits of laughter over the course of the night.
I have to admit, even though I'd read a little on the website in advance and knew a little from my friend, I was a little confused about how the show was intended to operate. It could be that I'm just not the best listener. Luckily we were willing to relax, let things go their course, and be silly. I'd definitely like to return to another show, as I think I would have a far better chance at solving the evening's "crime" now that I better understand the show's set up. (Unfortunately the website for the show doesn't give any detail about the night's show, to make it easier to know whether you've seen that specific show before. I asked one of the actor's after the show and I was told that they do change up the storyline; I plan to find out soon how often it changes so I can go back.)
I'd heard from someone else that the food isn't that great, so I was a little worried about the food before I went to the show. The initial salad and quesadillas didn't quell my fears, nor did the fact that the event took place in a rather plain hotel banquet room. Fortunately my meal (chicken piccata) was better than I had expected, on par with decently catered meal at a wedding, and the room worked perfectly well for the entertainment we were there for. When I return in the future, it will be for the show and not because I expect an amazing meal.
I definitely suggest bringing plenty of cash if you are planning on having drinks. We had intended to leave a larger tip than we did but spent more at the cash bar than we had originally planned.
In the end, it was a really fun way to spend an evening. It was a great way to meet other guests, be entertained by the actors, and get in a meal at the same time. read more