West Stanly Players will present murder mystery dinner theatre

Fall is here and murder is in the air once again for the West Stanly Players. After a two-year hiatus the WSP are bringing back their interactive murder-mystery dinner theatre show.

The production, “Technology of a Murder,” will run Nov. 19-20 at the Oakboro Music Hall beside of Los Jacubes in Oakboro and on Dec. 3-4 at Tiffany’s at the Boardroom in Albemarle.

“We are very excited to be able to perform our murder-mystery dinner show again this year,” says WSP director Wes Tucker. “This is a great opportunity for the audience to come have fun, enjoy a great meal and a hilarious evening of entertainment.”

The Players presented their first interactive murder-mystery in 2004 and they have become one of the most popular and most requested types of plays the group produces, Tucker said.

The format allows audience members to not only enjoy the show, but to participate throughout the performance. Many audience members are considered suspects while others are given opportunities to interrogate the actors. At the end of the night, some audience member who follows the clues and figures out “whodunit” wins a prize.

The evening features two mysteries. First, while audience members are enjoying their salad they are welcomed to Café Murder, the appetizer round. Many first-time performers are featured in this short, a mystery about a group of eccentric sisters celebrating a birthday at the Café Murder. Then, while the entree is being served, the audience is treated to the main course featuring many veteran actors, “Technology of a Murder.”

It’s a twisted tail about shifty seductresses, crafty conmen, shameful scientists and a host of other shady characters, where no one is who they seem and everyone is a potential suspect in a multi-layered murder.

“Our hope is to take you away from the quite streets of Oakboro or Albemarle and make each audience feel like they are in a five-star restaurant in the big city,” says Tucker. “It is an immersive experience from the time you walk in the door until the final body falls.”

In addition to the show, the evening also features a three-course meal in both locations. The meal includes salad, an entrée, dessert and a beverage, all served by the WSP waitstaff.

Tickets for the dinner theatre are $25 per person and include dinner and the show. The doors open at 6:15 p.m. and the show starts at 7 each night.

Tickets must be purchased in advance and seating is limited. To reserve a table, call April Tucker at 704-791-3200.

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