Mobile Mystery Dinners and the MMD Players stage their next whodunit, Lipstick, Lies & Alibis, on Saturday, August 13, 2011, inside the Mobile Carnival Museum — with doors at 6:30 p.m., curtain at 7 p.m., and reservations taken by phone at 251-479-3212 before it sells out.
The setup: guests are invited to a “life” celebration for the grand Madame Vanderbilt, hosted by her oldest and dearest friend Ari Verderci. Among the party guests are Sunshine, Verderci’s niece, and her fiancé Augie — whose mysterious past may catch up with him once he spots certain names on the guest list — along with Mr. Heath Gargamel, who has his eye on Sunshine. The company’s advice to diners: watch your back, and your date.
The Deal: Dinner, Wine and a Play for $57
Tickets run $57 per person for a three-hour evening that includes an unlimited wine bar starting at 6:45, a multi-course catered meal by Creative Catering — shrimp remoulade to start, pecan-encrusted white fish as the main and chocolate turtle cheesecake with raspberry drizzle for dessert — plus a tour of the Carnival Museum itself. The cast is led by director April Siotis and producer Virginia McKean, with Cassidy Ballot directing the play-within-the-party and a dozen local players filling roles from Det. Shirley Holmes (Dorrie Smith) to cab driver Justin Case (LV Conway).
A Full Season of Suspicion
The August show kicks off a busy fall schedule: The Headless Pirate of Dauphin Island at the Café Royal Sept. 1; Murder in Jest at Comealot Castle back at the Carnival Museum Sept. 17; Insanity of Murder aboard the Southern Belle (Alabama Cruises) Oct. 15; Unhappy Hour at Fitzpen Place Oct. 22; a two-day Murder Mystery Halloween Weekend at the historic Malaga Inn Oct. 29–30 with ghost tours, psychic readings and two cocktail parties; and ‘Twas the Murder Before Midnight at the Carnival Museum Nov. 12.