We pit BigTime Murder against Mysteriously Yours to determine which dinner theatre follows in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes. Who knows their audience better? You decide.
BIGTIME MURDER |
vs. |
MYSTERIOUSLY YOURS |
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Peter Dillon (president-at-large), Janet Davidson, 1992
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Position and year established: |
Lili and Brian Caws (co-producers) and Iliki Mahairas (front), 1987 |
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Up to 200 — it all depends on the year.
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How many shows a year? |
Usually about 250 or so. |
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Many! But the biggest VIPs were the Canadian troops that we had the honour of entertaining in the Persian Gulf in January 2003.
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Any celebrity spottings? | Joan Rivers has attended two shows. Mike Holmes attended the opening night of Extreme Holmes Makeover: Murder Edition. |
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We never force anyone to get involved but we definitely encourage active participation. A guest can also play the surprise victim and stumble into the
room with a pair of scissors sticking out of his back. |
Do you always involve the dinner guests?
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Yes, we have places in the mysteries
where we are going to use audience members. We incorporate people celebrating birthdays or anniversaries into the show as minor characters. |
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Listen to the details and keep an eye on the characters. All culprits need a motive, opportunity and means … unless it was an accident!
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What’s the key to solving a murder mystery?
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Paying attention to all the details |
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Never! |
How often is the butler the culprit?
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Agatha Christie never had the butler as the culprit. However, we have a butler in [our current show] Uptown Abbey, so … one never knows.… It’s a mystery.
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Poison ink. Although there can be blood, we don’t do over-the-top blood and guts.… It’s dinner theatre after all.
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Most unique murder weapon used?
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A dart from a blow gun, used by |
