What Makes a Murder Mystery Party a Success or Flop

These days there are more and more event hosting companies venturing into the murder mystery genre for parties. Your options are growing, with most cities in America now having several to choose from. Why the growth in popularity?

Because a good murder mystery is thrilling. A truly good mystery is challenging to participants. When a troupe knows what they are doing, the party-goers can escape their daily lives and be transported to a different time and place - a world full of mystery and suspense.

So how do you choose the right murder mystery party for your guests? It depends on your tastes; there are many styles to choose from and many questions to ask. Do you want a real mystery that is a challenge to solve and keeps them guessing? or do you want a campy comedy show that is light and silly? Or a little of both? Would you like the setting to be contemporary, or shall we transport your guests back to the Forties or Victorian England? Do you want actors that blend in with you guests, or center stage campy actors? Would you enjoy a Sopranos parody, or a classic gumshoe detective story?

I joined the mystery performance world when I was 23, back in 1989. The concept was still new, they called it Audience Participation Theater. I joined a group in NJ and the style was all camp: madcap hijinx, outlandish costumes and characters, hokey but fun. Working the tables, making people laugh, I had a blast. I even wrote my own silly script that company is still using today.

When I moved to California a few years later, the genre was now called Interactive Theater, and the style was changing. The trend was now to have the actors blend in to the party, you would think they were just another guest. Figuring out who was an actor and who was a guest was challenging and stimulating to the audience. And the plots were more serious, less predictable. It bothered me though that there was so much down time for the audience with this style, and great actors were being under utilized.

The detective in these scenarios was the only one that was not meant to blend in, and soon I won the role of the Lead Detective. I traveled all over America with my "COLUMBO meets JAY LENO" style character. Literally hundreds of times I performed as that character with this very popular mystery company.

Now I am Detective Sharpo for my own murdery mystery theater troupe, Sharpo Mysteries. I believe in a blend of challenging detective work mixed in with some silliness. We want guests to be intrigued and entertained at the same time. This perfect mix keeps the night moving and leaves everyone happy. Nora and I write the scripts ourselves, I am now a member of the Mystery Writers of America, and they employ quality compelling plots, not cheesy surface predictable fluff. But we never forget we are here to have fun. We even start the night early during the cocktail hour with intermingling performers doing magic and comedy in a lowkey fashion, it sets the tone for a night of fun.

This balance is actually hard to come by in a mystery dinner troupe, so be sure to ask these questions when making your choice. See you at the show!

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Los Angeles based Sharpo Mysteries, with Eric Sharp's unique mix of intrigue and comedy, is available for private and corporate parties. Book an one of a kind murder mystery for your next big event!

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What Makes a Murder Mystery Party a Success or Flop

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