What Makes a Murder Mystery Party a Success or Flop
Murder Mystery Theater, the kind that you can hire to come to your company party or large event, is growing in popularity every day. It seems that new troupes are popping up every day in cities across America. There are several to choose from now. Why this explosion in popularity?
Well a good murder mystery party is truly exciting and unpredictable. If the mystery is well written, it is intriguing and captivating for your guests. When a good murder mystery company does your party, the guests escape to a different world.
When you are talking with a potential murder mystery company, there are questions they should be asking to help you decide on the best set-up for your party. Would you like contemporary settings, or should we theme the party in another era like Victorian England or the Roaring Twenties? Would you like over the top actors, putting on a show, or actors that blend in with your guests and keep them guessing? Do you want a plot that is light and silly, or more serious sleuthing? Should we do a dark black comedy, or a modern Sopranos style parody?
When I was 23, I got my first taste of the mystery dinner theater world. In NJ, I worked with a troupe that specialized in the campy over the top mystery dinner theater. Silly scripts, comedic characters that were hokey, but it was so much fun. That was the style and what people expected. I fit in perfectly, I got to hone my spontaneous improv skills, table to table, cracking people up. I even wrote a campy script that is still being used today by that same company.
A few years later, I relocated to Los Angeles, CA. Out west, the murder mysteries we performed were contrasting: the goal was to have your actors blend right in with the guests, you did not know who was who. The mysteries they solved were actually challenging and intriguing, the writing was superb, the plots filled with twists. When someone would discover something, the guests were truly amazed and excited and captivated. But still I would see too much down time in between these moments, a little slower moving night, and I wanted to see actors talents utilized more.
One character in this style did not blend in, the lead detective was outed of course from the start, and drove the night. A fun and important role, I auditioned for the role, telling the producer that I would be a cross between Columbo and Jay Leno. I developed performed that character in mystery dinners across the country with this company, who called themselves the Rolls Royce of Mystery Companies.
Finally I started my own Sharpo Mysteries, with my wife Nora. We have crafted the company to be a perfect mix of fun comedy and serious sleuthing. We write mysteries with diabolic motives, some characters that blend in, and some that are over the top to keep everyone entertained. It’s a perfect mix. The mysteries are intense and clever, but the main focus is for the participants to truly have fun. We like to add strolling magic and party starters during the cocktail hour, it’s an all encompassing entertaining night.
This balance is actually hard to come by in a mystery dinner troupe, so be sure to ask these questions when making your choice. See you at the show!
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