Theatre Review: Adams Mystery Playhouse

If you are looking for something fun, unusual and different to do this Halloween season, (or any time of year), try the Adams Mystery Playhouse. Located at 2406 Federal Boulevard, (Right on the northeast corner of 24 th and Federal in North Denver), the building was not only once a historic Denver residence, it also served for many years as a mortuary. Now, it is the home of a new kind of interactive theatre.

Don't be frightened by the idea of an interactive theatre. Although the entire crowd is encouraged to participate, guests are free to take part as little or as much as they choose. You are not likely to be singled-out the way other interactive theatres do. The evening starts out with free parking in the big parking lot just to the east of the building. As you travel up the stairs and make your way inside, the owners come out to greet and welcome you. The doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Once inside, guests walk through the Séance Room and into a waiting area with a cash bar. At this time, people are invited to take part in a scavenger hunt, looking for various items hidden in plain view. The checklists also serve as entries into the free drawing which takes place later, and it really doesn't matter if you find any or all of the items. Actors also come out to mingle with the guests at this time and plant "clues" and become a part of the crowd.

After a half hour of mingling and looking for items on the scavenger list, guests are led into the dining room and stage area for dinner and the show. All seats are assigned ahead of time in random order and everyone at your table is on your detective team for the entire evening. Once everyone is finished with dinner, the adventure begins and each table tries to untangle the clues and solve the mystery. There really isn't a play in the traditional sense of the word, but there definitely is a plot and there definitely is a villain. It is similar to playing the board game "Clue" in a big room over dinner with strangers. The whole evening takes about three hours from start to finish and the show usually ends around 9:30 p.m.

The cost for the adventure is $39. The price includes dinner, entertainment and tax. The cash bar is extra. Dinner is catered, served buffet style, and features only one entrée. The evening we were there the entrée was Chicken in an artichoke sauce, but I can't tell you if it was any good because I didn't eat it. I'm vegetarian. There was also salad, fruit, bread and rice pilaf. The food was not fancy, but it was adequate and I heard no complaints. Lemonade and water are also served free of charge with the dinner. The theatre does private shows and caters to groups of just about any size.

For the overall experience, I grade them an "A". It was a fun evening, and especially fun at Halloween, but I don't think I would want to do it every week. I grade them up for value, (dinner and show for $39 is hard to beat), free parking, and an "easy" location. I can't really think of any reason to grade them down. They have a good product and a good idea.

The Adams Mystery Playhouse is located at 2406 Federal Boulevard right on the corner in an old mortuary building. The phone number is 303-455-1848 for reservations, and you need reservations so they can seat everyone appropriately. You can find them on-line at www.adamsmysteryplayouse.com , but I couldn't find any way to book reservations on line even though they say you can. Try this place out this Halloween and I think you'll have a lot of fun.
By Stan Dyer