When getting together with friends or family, dinner and good conversation is always a good idea. You also can’t go wrong with a good dinner and a movie. But, if you’re tired of those old standards, then the Mystery Café of Indianapolis is just the thing for you.
The Mystery Café originated in Boston in 1990 and made its way to Indianapolis in 1992. Since coming to the Circle City, the theater has evolved and today is one of the most unique types of theater in the city.
“It’s mystery entertainment. We have actors bringing wonderful theatrical skills, but also we have the best of entertainment, like if you were going to see a singer or entertainer. We have the best of both worlds,” said Christopher Haven Jones, president and artistic director of the Mystery Café.
Each play unfolds in four acts with a meal course served in between. Two actors playing multiple characters set the scene and help unravel clues that lead audience members to the murderer.
But there’s a twist – audience members are also a part of the show. Fifteen to 20 diners are “cast” to play characters integral to the plot and outcome of the play. Actress Melissa Solorzano-Gutierrez says audience actors keep her on her toes and also allows people to get in on the fun and ham it up if they’d like.
“The difference between the audience and traditional training is that when they miss their lines, they’re 100 percent genuine. We’ve even had someone ad-lib for two minutes,” said Solorzano-Gutierrez. “In the moment you’re like ‘I can’t believe this is happening’ (laughs) but it makes for a good time. With 20 audience members doing parts, you never know what a person will do.”
A Broad Ripple High School graduate and London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art trained actress, Solorzano-Gutierrez has been performing with the Mystery Café for over 10 years. She said that although she is able to be more flexible while acting in Mystery Café shows, this theater has helped her hone her skills.
The Mystery Café’s current production is “Ho Ho Homicide.” It is set in Atlanta and opens with a meeting of the city’s business and social elite. After meeting Miss Charlotte and Mayor Frankie Shirley, this holiday whodunit unfolds into a host of crazy characters that all have an alibi or motive in the death of Miss Charlotte.
Solorzano-Gutierrez stars as the Southern belle, Charlotte O’Terra; her Irish cousin, Maureen O’Terra; and Donna Blitzen, secretary to the 1940s-style detective, Nick Saint.
See “Ho Ho Homicide” now through Jan. 1.
For those who aren’t able to make it to this light and fun version of a Christmas murder mystery, Jones said that their upcoming season is one you won’t want to miss. Beginning Jan. 5, theater/dinner goers can see “Bats: The Non Musical,” a spoof of Andrew Lloyd Webber and T.S. Eliot’s “Cats,” full of vampires, mystery and humor.
In the spring, see “Comic Book Capers,” followed by a fall show that is a parody of the “Wizard of Oz.”
“It’s a wacky trip down the yellow brick road with Dorothy and her cell phone,” laughs Jones.
He and his “partner in crime,” Joe Strange, have worked very hard to raise the caliber of the show and offer audience members of all ages quality theater and a delicious meal for less than $50 a person.
“From the servers taking care of the customers to our actors, every part is important,” said Jones. “It’s a good time. There’s lots of laughs and good food.”
For the Mystery Café box office, call (317) 684-0668; for group sales and special events, call (317) 937-9689; email groups@themysterycafeindy.com; or visit www. themysterycafeindy.com.
