A Dinner to Die For - hilarious , comedy, murder-mystery, musical dinner show
Plot Synopsis
Not molecular gastronomy, but a wickedly funny Musical, Murder Mystery Dinner.
Set in 1928, Lord Quinten Daventry hosts his annual party bash. Rumour in social circles is that he will announce his engagement to Miss Fanny. Agatha Christie in spirit – all cut glass accents, pearls, flapper dresses, army outfits and monocles – with lashings of sexual innuendo and double entendres.
The core cast include the delightfully flighty Miss Fanny, besotted and oblivious to the designs on her fortune. Uncle Bernie, former army colonel, a blustering, big-bellied chauvinist. The pièce de résistance has to be Nanny Maude, Quinten’s childhood Nanny. Scottish down to her brown boots, this is one of the best drag acts since Mrs Doubtfire.
Party guests are allocated a role for the night and encouraged, but not required, to indulge their inner artiste by dressing and behaving in character. They play the game as detective for the night whilst mingling over dinner. Subplots emerge and the evening begins to gather pace and spices up into a hilarious romp peppered with music, murder, mysteries, disembodied limbs and suitably hysterical screams. As shows go this is interactive entertainment at its best!
Can we dress-up?
A Dinner to Die For is set in 1928 so guests are encouraged, but not required, to dress appropriately for the era. We provide tips and ideas for costumes.
How does it work?
We describe the evening as interactive entertainment – where guests are part of the show whilst watching the show all at the same time. There is a cast who perform throughout the dinner. Guests are encouraged to play their own character as much or as little as they choose – it is entirely up to you. Before the night you’ll be sent details about the show and your characters.
What about dinner & drinks?
The evening is designed to be enjoyed around dinner and drinks can be purchased at the bar throughout the event or drinks packages can be arranged with most venues.
What is the venue?
A Dinner to Die For can be arranged with one of our venue partners or at a venue of your choice.
How long does it run and when is it?
The show and dinner runs for around three hours and for private events the timing and date is entirely flexible to suit your group. We do run ticketed shows – sign up to our news letter to stay informed
Can I have a private show?
A Dinner to Die For is available for private events on a date and at a venue of your own choice. Please contact us to discuss your requirements and we can provide you with a quote.
Questions?
Please email Simon, our Producer, simon@bare-elements.com.au.
Or if social media is more your thing, then feel free to drop in at our Facebook page.
REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS
“Lord Quiten Daventry hosted his annual party bash. Not knowing him in person, I had a business proposition to make – that he sell his manor house so I, the baron Gerhaard Haase, Swedish property tycoon, could transform it into a hotel and a breeding site for my geese. Lovely weather, Britain, for geese breeding. No comedy festival event has ever had me travel in time and play a part in a 1920s whodunit. That is, until ‘A Dinner to Die For‘. I came accompanied by my +1, the Baroness Agnetha. A singing icon, she was eager to bring Swedish pop music to Europe. You had to be there to hear her rendition of ‘Dancing Queen’ to all present.
The thirty odd guests had barely sat down when a couple of young ladies next to us started fighting to win the love of Captain Montague ‘Monty’ Smeley-Downes, himself infuriated that his love interest, Miss Fanny, got engaged to our host. Our entrée arrived and a body is found on the stairs – poor Uncle Bernie – loved more for his money than for his bawdy chauvinistic humour. All the main characters (the actors running the story) had a motive…and the rest of the night unfolded with séances, sing-a-longs, a 1920s ‘the price is right’ game, body parts, and non-stop hilarity.
‘A Dinner to Die For’ is part ‘how to host a murder’, part play, part dress-up. The party guests each are allocated a role, and a bit of information relating to the many wacky sub-plots, should they choose to play along. That night, everyone did. The costumes were amazing. Top hats, flapper dresses, long gloves, pearls, and my dapper burgundy velvet jacket. The intimate setting of The Retreat Hotel in Abbotsford (itself a bit of a relic of the past) made it all very immersive. Highly recommended!”
- The Plus Ones April 2016
“Fancy some comedic chaos, crazy characters and a 3 course meal, spiced with murder and intrigue? Turn off the tele and put that Lean Cuisine back in the freezer then, you need A Dinner to Die For! The Truthbooth sent our bravest actress/reviewer/fancy dresser Naomi Crew along for an evening of hilarity at the Retreat Hotel in Abbotsford. Here’s her review…
- Truthbooth
‘Thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds’ of fun! A Dinner to Die For was a really enjoyable night hosted by a wonderful cast of charming characters, aside from a few murderous intentions.
On arrival at the Retreat hotel, all dressed up in my flapper dress and head band, I looked around the room at the other guests as they arrived. Some were couples, and others were larger groups of friends, work colleagues and family, all dressed up for the 1928 Christmas dinner party hosted by the cunning Lord Quinten Daventry. Initially I was a little nervous to be dressed in costume and arriving as a solo guest, but the warmth of this beautiful old pub, the staff and the other guests quickly extinguished my nerves.”
“Step into the Roaring Twenties; think The Great Gatsby and Gershwin's An American in Paris when you are dressing for this hilarious theatrical dining experience...”
Read more at http://www.weekendnotes.com/a-dinner-to-die-for-christmas-in-august/
“A Dinner to Die For is an interactive entertainment event: a murder mystery evening replete with three course meal, staged at The Retreat Hotel in Abbotsford (where The Sullivans was filmed).
- The Australian Stage
The evening was a sell-out, with 35 appropriately dressed guests in attendance for Lord Quinten Daventry’s birthday bash. The attention that the participants paid to their costuming and characters was quite something to see. Having been notified earlier in the week of our characters’ names and professions, it would seem that all 35 of us eagerly Googled the hair and costuming styles of 1928 and then focussed all our latent flapper-esque desires on appropriately bedecking ourselves. The small function room (prepare to eat with your elbows clamped firmly to your sides) really did look the part of a late 1920s aristocratic dinner party…..”
“Dazzling with the decadence of year 1928, the Retreat Hotel’s interactive theatre show A Dinner to Die For is pure fun. As the guests arrive at the Daventry family manor to celebrate Lord Quinten’s birthday, suspicions abound when it becomes apparent that some of the arrivals are harbouring ulterior motives. When one of the guests is found dead at the bottom of the stairs, it’s not long before accusations are unleashed. What ensues is a riotous night of hilarious whodunit designed to turn anyone into a sleuth.”
- ArtsHub
