Laughter and accusations flow from the room during a showing of the Dinner Detective in Columbia, as an excited audience tries to figure out which one of them isn’t who they seem.
America’s largest interactive comedy murder dinner show, The Dinner Detective features improv, betrayal and of course, a secret murderer. The show begins with a crime being committed, and the audience, along with actors posing as detectives, must work to reveal all the clues.
The company saw an opportunity in Columbia due to the diverse community, which makes for a fun audience, actor Kyle Tutton said. The area also lacked shows like The Dinner Detective.
Dinner Detective has been in business since 2004, with almost 100 locations across the U.S. and Canada.
“This isn't a normal performance or a normal dinner theater where you're sitting there and watching this show. You're involved, you know?” long-time actor on the show Jason Fisher said.
During the show, actors use improv to surprise and immerse the audience, owner and executive producer of the show, Whitney Axley, said.
"They (the audience) can expect to laugh at things they didn't know that they're going to laugh at, and have a lot of unexpected surprises, which we really set up so that people can be kind of wowed," Axley said.
The unexpectedness and audience involvement is what Tutton said he appreciates the most about the show. Tutton has been acting since he was in high school, and has been with the company for nine years.
In the beginning, Tutton worried about his ability to interact with the audience, but nine years of experience with show has made slipping into character almost second nature.
"When I stand someone up and start talking to them, I'm like okay, I can roll with whatever it is that they're gonna say and do, and we're just gonna go off that trend and see what happens," said Tutton.
The ever changing audience and cast constantly surprises Tutton with the things they say, which keeps him guessing, even after nine years.
“We get given gifts from the audience with the things that they say that they want to do, and it just adds and makes that show special,” he said. “Because the audience is different every time, so the show is inherently a little bit different every time.”
The entire cast performs the show twice, once as a rehearsal, and the second time for the audience.
In order to keep everyone engaged, the show takes care to constantly evolve its references and humor, as well as making sure to get every table involved in the show, Fisher said.
"We make references to pop culture, things that are going on in the world that people really know about," Axley said. "So we're kind of poking fun at things that we all talk about, you know. And it's fun for everybody, because everyone can relate."
Another way the show does this is by allowing the audience to pick code names, with many audience members choosing characters from books or movies.
“Everybody gets to put on an alias, so you can name yourself whatever you'd like,” Tutton said. “We encourage people to have fun with it and be creative. If you've got a drunk alter ego, go with that. That's who we want to hang out with tonight.”
Along with public showings two to three times a month, The Dinner Detective has also done private shows for corporate parties, debutante balls, and college fraternity and sorority events.
The next show is taking place on Feb. 15 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Columbia Country Club.