Friendly Murder On A Sunday Afternoon
On Sunday, September 22, two city dwellers visited Friendly’s Sports Bar in St. Louis County to attend a matinee performance of “Who Wants to Murder a Millionaire?” at the Dungeon Dinner Murder Mystery Theater.
Arriving at the location, you’re instantly greeted by the juxtaposition of a murder mystery theater and a sports bar. However, once you’re inside, you’d never know what’s happening on the main floor.
As you enter the space, you can access a full bar, the decor of murdery movie posters, and buffet-style appetizers. The dimly lit main event space covers the walls with dungeon stone wallpaper and cotton cobwebs, torches, and cafe lighting. The room is filled with about 60 guests sitting at tables of various sizes, filling the basement space. The tables are dressed with linens and seat covers on the chairs, making for a spooky banquet atmosphere. The larger tables were filled with folks who seemed to know each other while we were seated with strangers.
Before the show began, the actors greeted the guests and found volunteer audience members to fill their outstanding roles. Participants were scattered across the space, making the performance feel inclusive and keeping the actors constantly crisscrossing the room. All the volunteers seemed to have a lot of fun with their characters – one even invented an accent for her part, and others ad-libbed lines.
There were just two actors who played all the other characters. Writer Kevin O’Brien played the multi-millionaire, butler, and groundskeeper, while co-owner Melanie Hoffman played the millionaire’s wife. The script was entertaining and funny. Lots of one-liners and St. Louis-centric jokes throughout. There were definitely moments of adult humor as well – this wouldn’t be appropriate for the kiddos, but fortunately, we were in a bar basement.
The performance began about an hour after the doors opened and everyone had finished their appetizers and salad. The menu is unique for each performance, with several entree options, including a vegetarian choice. This isn’t your typical bar food; it’s more akin to a banquet meal. The portions are reasonable, and with several courses, you won’t leave hungry. My meal was fresh and flavorful.
During the show, the actors delivered their dialog as they moved about the room, in costume but using minimal additional props. The room itself is the set, so the show depends on the script. Hidden in those lines are important clues needed to solve the murder at the end.
Staggered between food courses, the show continued. The actors broke the fourth wall as they acknowledged and celebrated the volunteer actors and the audience. There was definitely a bit of improv in addition to the scripted lines, as actors responded to audience reactions or an ad-lib from an audience participant.
As the story wrapped up, the time came for us to take our guess at whodunit. We all had cards on the table to write our character names on. After the names were all submitted, the final act was a reveal of the murderer, and if you guessed correctly, you were entered into a drawing for a prize.
I’ve seen (and acted) in plenty of plays over the years, but this was the first time I had experienced a dinner theater. It feels different and much more personal than traditional theater. Since you’re immersed with the actors, you really feel like a part of the show, even if you’re not a volunteer participant. I would especially recommend this for group outings – It definitely would be the most fun with a table full of friends. Still, even sitting with strangers, it was a unique and different afternoon activity. I would definitely attend a show here again.
Dungeon Dinner Murder Mystery Theater is located in the basement of Friendly’s Sports Bar in South County. The next show, “Murder on the Disorient Express,” is scheduled for a matinee performance on October 20th, presented by Kevin O’Brien of Interactive Murder Mysteries. In-house chef Kelly Kasparek creates a unique menu for each performance.
