Cast prepares for March 2 murder mystery dinner theater

Cast members rehearse for the March 2 performance of the "Masked for Murder" mystery dinner theater. Photos by Tommie Brown

By Tommie Brown, Staff Writer

Professor Plum ... in the Ballroom ... with the candlestick! Or in the Arts Council of Menifee’s case, it might be Lana Lando as the culprit. If you have ever wanted to land yourself right in the middle of a Clue game, Menifee’s own Murder Mystery Dinner, scheduled for March 2 at Kay Ceniceros Center, is the place you’ll want to be.

Spearheaded by Linda Denver, head of the ACM Theater Division and holder of a Master’s degree in Theater Arts from University of Northern Colorado, the "Masked for Murder" dinner event will leave you feeling like Agatha Christie or Nancy Drew.



The event is set at Hotel Toulouse in New Orleans’ French Quarter, and guests will find themselves in the middle of a Mardi Gras homicide. With suspects including an amateur magician, a riverboat captain, a famous pastry chef, a float designer, Hotel Toulouse’s owner, a French Quarter mime and his trombone-playing partner, or an enchanting fortune teller mixing and mingling with guests in attendance to give away clues and plead their innocence, the crowd will have to stop themselves from picking up a southern drawl all their own.

Given a newspaper detailing the crime scene, as well as a few clues to help along the case, diners will work among themselves with their investigative teams in order to catch the murderer of the evening. At the end of the night, the police lieutenant will arrest the guilty culprit and the investigators who solved the mystery correctly win a prize.

And while the evening should be one of enchantment and conundrum, the actors and directors are working hard beforehand to get their characters down pat.

"I’ve never been an actor or wanted to," says Brian Walker, or Pierre Baguette to guests, "and I don’t know the language nor have a French accent, but it is a challenge that is fun. I enjoy stepping out of my comfort zone and playing a role."

Meeting at the Denver residence weekly, the volunteer actors enter the door immersed in their new identity. From accents to mannerisms to posture, the bunch won’t break character even when they take a water break. 

This being a no-script event, the actors -- led by Denver -- spend the weeks leading up to the event fleshing out the backstory, personalities, and relationships of and between each character in the dinner theater.



“This type of dinner theater is fun,” says Bettie Spatafora, who is assistant directing for Denver in this year’s event. “It gives members of the community that have never acted before an opportunity to deeply learn a character. Then, as this character [gets to] act, dress, and chat with the people that attend.”

Hand making their own costumes and creating their own personalities and lines, guests will get to interact with their Menifee neighbors in a whole new, Mardi Gras, light.



"I have attended different kinds of dinner theaters and found that this style lends itself
to improvisational expression. There are no lines to learn; the actors create their characters through their imaginations," Denver explains. "On the other side of the coin, the attendees of the dinner don’t just sit and watch a play; they get involved, verbally and physically with the actors/suspects, as they try to solve the 'murder.' It’s fun for everyone."

Not only will the cast be in Mardi Gras spirit, but the dinner and drinks of the evening will be, too. A buffet dinner provided by Thomas Catering will be infused with flavors of New Orleans, and the no-host bar held in the "Hotel Toulouse Lounge" will be serving up "hurricane cocktails" straight from the French Quarter.



Guests are asked to attend the event in their own thought-up Mardi Gras attire, adding to the mystifying festivity of the night.

You may not have the time or funds to fly yourselves to New Orleans before Fat Tuesday hits, but the "Masked for Murder" mystery dinner event is the perfect opportunity to take part in the Louisiana festivities here in Menifee ... with suspects for murder sitting right at your table.

Tickets for the event are on sale now until Feb. 22 for $35 at artscouncilmenifee.org. The event will begin at 6 p.m. on March 2, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.