A murder mystery theatre night, with a slight difference
“IT’S the height of summer and temperatures aren’t the only things on the rise. Bloodlust is on the boil and there’s savagery simmering when one of the nation’s most powerful men invites the great and the good to a midsummer night’s feast.”
And that midsummer night’s feast forms the plot of ‘ A Midsummer Night’s Murder’ at the Sligo Park Hotel, in conjunction with Catastrophe Theatre Company and the Hawk’s Well Theatre.
This is a theatre production, but it’s very different to the norm.
Audience members enjoy a three course meal, with each act of the play taking place after each course.
“It’s very different for audience members,” said Paul Hayes, Director.
“We’ve been touring it for six months and we’re really enjoying it. It’s great for people who don’t go to the theatre because it’s not just one long show,” he said.
As for the course of events, audience members will not be asked to take part in the show, and can relax
“It’s a really relaxed kind of evening. It’s a murder mystery set in the 1950s with a few recognisable characters like a vicar, soldier, butler. The audience can really get into it but they’re not involved like in some murder mysteries.”
And sometimes, audience members can find themselves getting very involved in the show.
“We’ve sometimes found notes after shows where people have been jotting things down as they go along just to see if they can find out who the murderer is.”
Paul Hayes, in his role with Catastrophe Theatre, is always keen to try something different.
His desire to install variety into his shows has lead to all sorts of venues being used for shows.
“We’ve done 11 different shows, on top of car parks and in back alleys, churches, all sorts of different places.
“I was trying to think of something a bit different and one of the actors was in a murder mystery where the staff are involved and it gave me the idea to do it with dinner theatre because that is a thing.
“In a murder mystery there is a lot going on, it puts pressure on the kitchen staff to get the food out on time. So we’re excited about coming to Sligo,” he said.