Murder Mystery Dinner in Seattle
Earlier this month, Adam and I were invited to a Murder Mystery Dinner in Snohomish by The Murder Mystery Company. We weren't sure what to expect! We had definitely heard of these types of shows before, but neither of us had ever attended one or knew anyone who had, so we went into the experience totally blind which was sort of fun (but also a bit scary!). The name of the show we attended was, "Noir She Didn't," and this was the story/description:
"Things aren’t looking good at Terry Bull’s restaurant when a proposal gone right goes horribly wrong with a tragic demise! This speakeasy scene ain’t so easy now that the fuzz are on the prowl, and Mafia Don Terry Bull is fit to be tied while the detective tries to crack the case. Which one of these juice joint patrons is to blame? Bribe other guests for clues and gather information to solve the crime and get the good times rolling again. Don your pinstriped suits and get dolled up in your favorite 1920s film noir evening gowns and cocktail dresses to make an entrance no one will forget!"
We wanted to search Goodwill for 20s-themed clothing but never got around to it. Instead, Adam wore a white button-down shirt with a black bow tie and fit in with the other men just fine. I ended up wearing a black turtleneck with a polka dot skirt and black boots, but I felt horribly underdressed when we got there and I saw all of the women beautifully dressed in flappers, pearls, and feathered headbands. It was fun to see everyone participating in the theme of the night. If we ever attend another show, I'll definitely put more effort into my outfit!
Okay, so when we arrived, we checked in with the woman sitting near the door, and then there was a photo booth set up with props nearby and a photographer helping you get into position. We opted to just hold a sign and smile without using any other props. Most innocent/boring mug shot ever, I suppose. That's okay.
We were assigned to a table when we checked in, and the table happened to be right in front of the stage, with six other people. Two of the couples at our table were dressed in the 20s theme, and we said hello and introduced ourselves to everyone.
Our first course (salad) came out quickly, and a woman took our drink orders as soon as we sat down. Before the show started, one of the actors walked around from table to table, had everyone introduce themselves to one another, explained the rules for the night, and then randomly picked a person at each table to become an actor in the show. At our table, an older man (in his late 70's maybe?) named Dave starred as Terry Bull. Our table was given a binder and we were told to read about Terry's character so we knew what to tell the other dinner guests when they came by our table asking for clues about Terry. There was also fake money on the table, and it was supposed to be used to bribe other guests for information about whichever character was at their table.
In the beginning, nobody used the money. Adam and I carried it with us, but nobody asked us for it, and they'd usually just tell us whatever we were wondering. It was a bit hectic for a while since there were so many people there, and with everyone getting up and walking around, it was hard to tell who was assigned to what table. It was also a bummer that of the six other people at our table, only one person cared to participate. So he joined Adam and me as we walked around looking for clues and trying to get information out of the other guests.
After the first 15 or so minutes, the real actors asked all of the fake, chosen actors to come up on stage and introduce themselves to everyone. I found this to be a bit overwhelming, mainly because there were just SO many actors in the story, it was hard to keep track. Dave, the actor at our table playing Terry Bull, was totally confused and didn't really seem like he wanted to participate from the very beginning. At one point, we even heard him say, "I hate this," after being grilled by one of the real actors about his participation in the "murder" to the entire room. The actor came over with a microphone and was asking Dave all these questions and he just didn't know how to respond because he couldn't remember what his character had done. You really had to read the binder and memorize your character well in order to play along, and Dave just wasn't the right person for this. We felt bad for him!
As the night progressed, our 2nd course came out (Adam and I had pasta primavera) and the story was getting more and more detailed and everyone was having a lot of fun (except for the five people at our table who couldn't have looked more bored). I was observing the other tables and wishing we had been seated with people who actually wanted to play along. But, oh well, we did what we could.
By the end of the night, our final course was served (chocolate or vanilla cake) and we were given a sheet and were told to write who we thought the murderer was, and why we thought they did it.
It didn't really come as a surprise to us, but our table came in last place. We even got a "Dead Last" award, haha. That's how off we were! We didn't care though, we just laughed it off. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Adam and I agreed that if we ever went to another show, it would be with a bigger group of friends, or with one other couple at least, just so we'd know we'd be with people who are actually interested in playing the game. I'm still not sure why you'd pay to attend something like this and not want to participate?? So strange! All in all, it was an interesting night and we had fun, despite being seated with the sour guests at our table.
Thanks again to The Murder Mystery Company for inviting us out for the night! Have you ever been to a Murder Mystery show? Do tell!