There's a new show in town and they call it Superhero! Mysteriously Yours, Toronto's only interactive murder mystery dinner theatre, has done it again with one of their best shows yet. The setting: a superhero convention. The characters: celebrities, superheroes and special guests. Out of all the shows I have seen thus far (and I have been to quite a few), this one is neck and neck with my all-time favourite: Apprentice to Murder. Returning cast members include Pierre Alain Trudel as Douglas Fuhr and the extremely polite Canadian Shield, Stephanie Folkins as the boisterous Axoria, Simon Esler as the incredibly cute Chihuahua Furioso, and Birgitte Solem as Frozina. Appearing through the courtesy of Canadian Actors' Equity Association is Precious Chong as holistic health nut Wondering Woman. If you think she is at all related to Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong, you'd be correct. She's his daughter! You may have also seen her at the NXNE Festival in 2013, attended one of her comedy shows, listened to her podcast or have read her column Being Precious on bunchfamily.ca. See, she's a superhero in real life, too!

Last month, my daughter and I were invited to the VIP opening of Superhero. While the food was less than spectacular, the comedy and the performances certainly made the night a hit. I have to hand it to the cast for clearly giving it their all and running with the improvised scenes as well as they did. This was the first time I brought my daughter, who is ten years old, and she had an incredible smile on her face the entire night. She loved interacting with all of the characters that came to our table and correctly identified the murderer. Me? I loved listening to El Chihuahua Furioso speak with his dreamy Spanish accent. ¡Ay, ay, ay!

In short, this is one show you don't want to miss. Visit mysteriouslyyours.ca to get your tickets soon. The show won't be on for long; a new one comes to the theatre November 2015. 

Last month, I received an invitation from Alfred Hitchmock to attend an engagement party in honour of his daughter Kelly-Grace. The famous director of The Angry Birds was in attendance, along with his star actress turned assistant, yet what began as an evening of celebration soon turned into a night of... murder! Dun, dun, dun! Fortunately, this was all part of the latest Mysteriously Yours Dinner Theatre show produced by Lili and Brian Caws and no directors were harmed in the making of Getting Hitched. 

The menu for the evening was compiled by Executive Chef Justine Voutt. My friend selected the Chef's Soup Creation, pictured above. I ordered an arugula salad with tomato, radicchio and feta cheese in a lovely fresh basil and red wine vinaigrette.

For the main course, my friend chose the Maple Dijon Chicken served with caramelized rice pilaf and green beans. When her dish was served, I almost regretted not ordering the same one, since I love chicken. But I always ordered chicken and wanted to try something different.

I ended trying the Provençale Beef Stew, even though I'm not a big fan of stew in general. What sealed the deal for me was that the tender beef and vegetables stewed in red wine and French herbs were served over garlic mashed potatoes. Yum! It was incredibly delicious but very filling. Mind you, I may have indulged in one or two dinner rolls as well.

Once we finished our main course, the fun began. The actors made their rounds throughout, interacting with guests and dropping clues here and there. This is always so much fun and I really admire how they can improvise so well. Then the real show began and we soon bore witness to a back-stabbing murder in a world where Bates Motel meets Mad Men. The cast included Brigitte Solem (Breakout Kings, Little Mosque on the Prairie), Allan Cooke (Murdoch Mysteries, Reign), Debbie Collins (A Chorus Line), Tom Melissis (Da Vinci's Inquest, Due South), Stephanie Folkins, and Paddy Forde. 

On the heels of Once Upon a Murder, Mysteriously Yours... Mystery Dinner Theatre brings you Uptown Abbey, a funny spoof of the popular British TV Drama. In this story, Lord and Lady Upton, desperate to marry off their daughters, are running out of time and money. With no male heirs, they risk losing their estate and having everything turned Upside Downton. When a body is discovered, they soon realize that there is much more at stake. Luckily, Lieutenant Carumbo, who just so happens to be in the area vacationing with his wife, is on the scene to help solve the mystery.

Last Thursday, I attended the Mysteriously Yours VIP event for their first ever summer opening. Along with my friend, who drove in from Hamilton, I had the pleasure of meeting all of the colourful characters, including the, er... pretty Lady Edith. She had instantly taken a liking to Darren, one of the guests.

Here she is with her youthful-looking mother. Do you see the resemblance? No, neither do I. It's quite clear she died her hair blonde.

And allow me to introduce you to the Dowager Countess. She takes great pride in the family name and exudes an air of wealth and prestige.

Here is Carson, butler extraordinaire. Due to cuts in staffing, this hardworking and charming fellow is being run amuck opening and closing all 400 windows in the residence, serving guests, vacuuming, disposing of dead bodies and more. But he can still muster up enough energy to put on a winning smile.

I wish I had taken a photo of Lady Syvil, one of the Upton daughters, but she always seemed to be busily tweeting away, instagramming or updating her Facebook status on her newly acquired iPhone. You can find her on Twitter (or Twitta, rather) at @SyvilUpton. Of course, we cannot forget the clever Lieutenant Carumbo. He looks oddly enough like someone I've seen on TV...

Uptown Abbey is written by Ken MacDougall, producer Brian Caws and cast, MacDougall himself playing the role of Lord Upton. I haven't seen him since he was cast in Apprentice to Murder (You're Fired!) as the spitting image of Donald Trump. It was the first mystery dinner I had attended and was probably my favourite of all, especially since MacDougall nailed his role. Danny Wengle, who played Regis Fildin, returns with another fabulous impersonation. Birgitte Solem plays it safe as Lady Upton but I will always remember her fantastic role as Sue Polyester. We also see the return of Ian Ronningen, who performed as the valiant Sherlock Holmes in The Fine Art of Murder as well as Prince Charmin in Once Upon a Murder. I had the pleasure of sitting next to his sister who shared some interesting facts about the actor, like, for instance, this YouTube video of Ronningen performing a winning dance to Footloose as part of a talent competition. You have to check out his shorts!

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, lived a talented cast of fairytale proportions. Brought to life by the producers of Apprentice to Murder and The Fine Art of Murder, Mysteriously Yours... Mystery Dinner Theatre introduces the latest show Once Upon a Murder full of familiar characters the likes of which you once read about as a child. Enter Prince Charmin, Jack Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, and the Fairy Godmother.

 

Toronto is a busy city with plenty to see and do during the day. It also boasts a bustling nightlife that offers a myriad of fun-filled and delectable ways to spend an evening with friends. Last year, I discovered how entertaining it is to participate in a murder mystery dinner when I joined the likes of Sue Polyester, Regis Fildin, Joan Rivets, Lindsay Lohest, Gary Boozy and Madame Gaga for their Apprentice to Murder dinner theatre at Mysteriously Yours. The food was tasty and the hilarity endless.

 

Last fall, actress Birgitte Solem and producer Brian Caws, along with the remaining cast, worked on a new script that had Sherlock Holmes smoking his pipe and solving yet another puzzling mystery. I love Sherlocke Holmes, especially the Robert Downey Jr. variety. So when I was extended a VIP invitation, I couldn't resist.


While the humour wasn't nearly as consistent as in Apprentice to Murder, the show was entertaining nonetheless. Perhaps I had set my hopes too high based on my experience at The Fine Art of Murder, a veritable knee-slapper of a show. Regardless, I take my hat off to Brigitte and the talented cast: Danny Wengle, Pierre Alain Trudel, Ian Ronnigen, Barb Scheffler and Kristen Corvers. You stumped me this time!

 

Last month, my husband and I were invited to attend the official opening of Mysteriously Yours Dinner Theatre's Apprentice to Murder, an interactive murder mystery based on Donald Trump’s The Apprentice. With a quirky mix of celebrities who try to solve the case, dinner guests are able to interact directly with the characters while taking notes in order to determine the guilty party. Aside from the Donald, other characters included Sue Polyester, Regis Fildin, Joan Rivets, Lindsay Lohest, Gary Boozy and Madame Gaga. Yes, the perfect recipe for outrageous hilarity. (I will leave it to you to figure out which real-life celebrities they are impersonating.)