A little death with your dinner?
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Continuing the fine tradition of dinner and live theatre is Port Clinton-based Memory Works Dinner Shows, which is bringing its suspenseful and hilarious “Mountain Murder” production to Sandusky for a 6 p.m., Feb. 8 date at the Lyman Harbor Entertainment Complex.
“We’ve played there twice before,” said Memory Works Dinner Shows owner-visionary Phoebe Parker Borman. “So far we keep going back, so they seem to be received very well.”
“We’ve done these murder mystery theaters before and it seemed like the area really likes them,” said Lyman Harbor Sales and Catering Manager Suzi Evans. “It’s just something to get the people out after Christmas and in the winter, something else to do. It’s just a fun nice thing to do and have a nice dinner.”
Over the past few years, hungry audience members have watched “How to Make a Killing” and “Murder Gets the Vote.” Now “Mountain Murder” falls right in line. In fact, the show uses some of the same characters but in a different setting.
“It’s got catchy characters and a funny plot,” said Borman, a Port Clinton resident. “It’s a comedy, and it’s in an intimate setting. The actors come and go and they play off the guests. The guests can participate or not.
“It’s just fun because you’re right there, and live dinner theater is just so much different than the show because there’s a connection between the performance and the audience.”
The evening begins with a few scenes to set up the plot. This is followed by dinner and then a longer scene, which includes the detective making his case for each character being the prime suspect. While theatergoers are eating dessert, they are also voting on who they believe is the guilty party. Afterwards, the audience members who pick the right character receive a surprise.
Borman started Memory Works Dinner Shows in earnest four years ago specifically for the Island House. The retired schoolteacher wrote and produced the productions. However, the Island House soon closed. Left with plenty of scripts and aspiring actors, she started branching out to other venues around the area. So far her company has staged dinner theater shows at Lakeside Wesley Lodge, North Shore Retirement Community, Oak Harbor Inn, Put-in-Bay Yacht Club, Huron Yacht Club, Sandusky Yacht Club and more.
“People should come out because they’ll have fun,” Borman said. “It’s just a good evening and much more fun than just dinner.”
John Benson can be reached at jbenson@funcoast.com.
