Murder Mystery Makes For Laughs
In Historic North Denver Mansion
Article by Elisa Cohen
From the North Denver Tribune

Was it Miss Peacock in the kitchen with a fork? Or was it Professor Plum with a wire in the pantry? At the end of a rousing evening of interactive dinner theatre at Adams Mystery Playhouse, these are just two of the possibilities for the solution of the "murder" that takes place amongst the dining audience. But solving a crime is nowhere near the only reason to attend "Mystery @ The Mansion"-a performance that is part theatre, part stand-up variety show and part flashback to the campy Jackie Chan and Hercule Poirot detective stories.

The evening begins with the chance to sip wine or beer in the elegantly restored Adams Mystery Playhouse lobby. The play's characters circulate through the audience, insinuating a familiarity with the story that begins to unfold. Eighty-five to One Hundred and Twenty guests are seated and the players enter the dining room from all sides. Miss Peacock (played by Juli Redson-Smith) thanks all for attending her little "fundraising" dinner. She then invites the guests to get their meals with a richly rendered version of "Welcome to the Cabaret." The buffet-style dinner is just part of what makes the evening a success.

As the theatergoers take their seats to eat dinner, the play begins in earnest. From around the room the tale of greed, lusts, loves and silliness is told from the standpoint of a variety of people all interested in saving or destroying the mansion in which the play takes place. A developer wants to destroy the building to make way for condos. A preservationist seeks the funds to restore it. The play weaves in elements of North Denver issues into the content of the story. But unlike a staged play that the audience simply sits back and takes in, the interactive nature of this production calls for the audience to get up and seek clues. Members of the audience are drafted to be characters in the play.

At the performance we attended, one unfortunate gentleman sitting too close to Mrs. White bravely becomes a tango student-to the great amusement of the rest of the audience. The interactivity reaches a crescendo with a call and answer song session during with the audience sings its assigned parts and then everyone leaps to their feet for a rumba line around the ballroom. Several people at our table complained of their faces aching from laughter.

At $39.00 per person (which includes the dinner, the theatre and tax), Mystery @ The Mansion is a great date destination. There are performances every Friday and Saturday night. See the Tribune calendar for listing dates. The price goes up to $44 to $67 in December. To make reservations for the mystery dinner call 303-455-1848.