Jim,

Great show last night!  Therese had a wonderful time and the cast was great.  Our whole group was up and dancing and really into it, so I’m glad it all worked out.

P.S.  We seem to have forgotten our mug that Therese “won” at the end by guessing the culprit.  Is there any way you could send us a replacement?  She’s bummed to have lost that memento of the evening.  It’s …. if you can.  Thanks!

Jim G.

Kristine E., Washington DC

Wonderful!  Brought Girl Scout Troop – great entertainment for all ages.

Patti E., Wilmington NC

Fantastic.  This was my first, hope it’s just the beginning.

Phyllis H., District Heights, MD

Thank-you for providing a great night out.

Qiana J., Arlington, VA

Last visit was ’07 – this event was better.

Allen S., Quantico, VA

We really enjoyed the whole evening as food, service and show were great!

Sean U., Gettysburg, PA

My 1^st & great fellowship with table people.

Carlos and Rudy S., Tangion, VA

I love how nice all the actors were!  I also like how the killer only wanted to kill one person and all the rest were accidents.

Jenny M., Aunton MD

Very funny!! Salmon was a good entrée.  Thanks for a fun night!!

Margaret A., Annapolis, MD

We will be back!  Wonderful tongue in cheek…

Michael M., Fredericksburg, VA

Really enjoyed the evening. Will be back for next show.

Veronica M., Chevy Chase, MD

Thank-you.  It was a very enjoyable night out with my neice.

Kimberly B., Sliver Spring, MD

Very innovative!  Better than a movie!

Maggie D., Lothian, MD

Excellent, been to several all over the world.  You are so talented.

Peter M., Chevy Chase, MD

This was a great way to celebrate my daughter’s sweet 16!

Beth S., Dunn Loring, VA

Freaking awesome!

Terrence C., Washington DC

Was better than expected, food was decent, acting decent.  I’d come back.

Jesse W., Washington DC

Fun before hurricane and after earthquake!

C. Johnson, Ganesville, VA

Thanks you!  I can’t wait till my next murder mystery.  This was a great b-day present.

Kayla F., Ridgely, MD

Very nice improvisations, I enjoyed the show much more when it strayed from the script.  Not because the script was bad!  It was funny though.

Zachary B., Hyattsville, MD

Good job guys. I had a good time, keep it up!

Joshua P., Storrs CT

It was an awesome time. Very good, fun exciting time!

Kristina M., Pasadena MD

Show was too funny! Rachael stole the show! Love her character!

April A., Washington DC

Give us a call at 888-471-4802 or go online and order today.

Mail will arrive within two business days, or we can overnight (charges apply) to ensure delivery before Christmas. Ordering online is a safe, easy and convenient way to give the gift of mystery to your special someones. It’s the perfect gift for all ages!

Join us for New Year’s Eve!

Shows are at 7:30 pm and include an upgraded menu, champagne, party favors and, of course, a fabulously funny murder mystery. Call today at 888-471-4802 or book online by clicking on the location of your choice below:

Richmond • Williamsburg • Virginia Beach • Arlington/DC

All of us at Mystery Dinner Playhouse wish you a very, very

Happy Holidays!

For those of you not yet familiar with this new phenomenon, here’s how it works:

Businesses partner with one of the many new online discounters, in our case, Living Social, but there are tons of them cropping up – Groupon, Live Ginger, Virginia Living, Deal of the Day…they ask a business to offer 50% off or more the regular price of goods or services to a huge list of people who have subscribed to receiving emails alerting them of the “daily deal.” The deal is available for 24 hours and customers can buy one or more vouchers (depending on the deal) to be redeemed before a predetermined expiration period.  They offer incentives to subscribers giving them a free voucher if they alert their friends via social media (twitter, fb) and at least three friends end up buying the deal because of the referral. The online discounter takes in all the initial sales and processes all payments. They in turn, cut a check to the participating business within a week or so, MINUS 40% commission (some discounter ask for up to 50%). The participating business ends up with a big fat check (hopefully) and has some immediate cash flow coming in. During this bad economy, most small businesses are in dire need of cash flow, hence the popularity of these programs for businesses as well as consumers.

In our case, we offered 50% off dinner and show, up to four vouchers purchased per subscriber to be used within one year of purchase. We previously partnered with Living Social – Richmond and sold 400+ tickets and thought that was amazing. So, you can imagine how floored we were when we sold 4,000 in the DC area! I don’t think that Richmond has really caught the online discounter wave like DC. Marketers and advertising agencies have long known that the Richmond area is considered a “laggard” market – it is a market who is most resistant to catch on to the latest trends. Minneapolis, like DC is considered one of the more progressive markets and will latch on to trends immediately. I’ve lived in both markets and can attest to this fact. But, I digress…

Who’s buying these discount vouchers? Our experience is that young, 20- something females are the core market for these vouchers. They are employed, have disposable income, and make fairly good money – and they LOVE to consume! We’ve had calls from this demographic stating that they just bought the vouchers, but know nothing about us and want more info. Really? Why would someone buy something without knowing what they are buying? Well, that seems to be the phenomenon around this business model. The deals are so cheap that consumers grab them and ask questions later.

What’s in it for the business offering the deal? That question, on the surface, seems to have an easy answer – generating more business and making money, even if it means 50% less revenue. For some companies this kind of set-up can really be profitable because their mark-ups are already at 100%, so they take in 50% profit instead. On top of that, once the consumer is in the door, they can sell other products to make up for the initial loss from the discount vouchers.

Our company actually doesn’t make money on doing this type of business, but the infusion of cash flow helps us stay afloat during slower business cycles and we can absorb the loss over time.

Also, according to Living Social, 30% of consumers who buy these vouchers never use them – 30%! If that is the case, then that eliminates most of the sting from Living Social taking their giant commission.  And let’s face it,  40 -50% commissions that these companies are charging for their services is practically legalized loansharking.  Desperate times call for desperate measures, and companies like Groupon and Living Social are taking full advantage of the downed economy making millions a day in commissions from small businesses struggling to stay alive.

I hope in a few years time, this way of doing business will not exists anymore.  I’d like to think that this is the last time we participate in a program like this, but in 17 years of doing this for a living, I’ve learned to never say “never.”

Laura Daab

Here’s the excerpt:

“Last week I promised you a recipe for the absolutely awesome soup we had at the Sheraton Hotel in Arlington, Va. I received the following information from the people there.

Jim D[aab], from the Mystery Dinner Playhouse at The Sheraton in Arlington, Va., sent a note explaining that the chef, who was from Europe, had returned to his position in his native country. He also says that he never uses amounts, just adds ingredients to taste. I think if you want to prepare a smaller recipe just try one of each vegetable and add the other ingredients according to taste.”

She also included the recipe in her column:

Mystery Dinner Playhouse – DC/Arlington vegetable soup recipe
Diced tomato
Diced onion
Diced celery
Diced zucchini
Diced yellow squash
Chopped fresh cilantro
Diced Spanish onion
Chopped fresh parsley
V8 juice
Vegetable base
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Diced green pepper
Diced carrots
Water

Let us know if you want a recipe from any of our shows’ menus and we’ll do our best to oblige, although don’t be surprised if our chefs want to keep their culinary creations a mystery:)

Sasha Maggio

Sasha Maggio, from the Fairfax County Vegetarian Examiner has this to say about Mystery Dinner Playhouse – Arlington:

“People do not often go to “dinner and a show” as was once in fashion, but occasionally you stumble upon an interesting combination of dinner theater. Mystery Dinner Playhouse presents unique mystery scripts performed throughout the meal in an entertaining and engaging fashion with real performers.

Though they hire actors with the understanding that some waiting/serving will be involved in their performance, they hire actors and actresses, not typical wait staff.

Each show is broken down into 10-15 minute acts, with the performers performing throughout the entire dining room which can help bring the action of the play right to the audience. When you first arrive, you are met by one or two of the “suspects” who will seat you, show you around, and help prepare you for the mystery performance. During the performances, audience-diners are to watch for clues and keep notes of anything suspicious!

Reservations should be made in advance to guarantee seating, and for vegetarians there is a vegetarian entree which also must be ordered in advance so be sure to request your vegetarian entree when making reservations!”

Read more…http://www.examiner.com/x-45094-Fairfax-County-Vegetarian-Examiner~y2010m7d27-Mystery-Dinner-Playhouse

Please come out and join us!

May 21 – November 20, 2010

The lights on “The Strip” have never been brighter! The whole city of Las Vegas is buzzing about the Entertainer of the Year Contest. Every lounge lizard in town is entered, and the competition will be fierce, because the grand prize is a lifetime booking at the biggest joint in town, The Fantasyland Casino! There isn’t an Elvis imitator or Wayne Newton wannabe around that wouldn’t kill for the chance to work that room. And we do mean KILL, in Mystery Dinner Playhouse’s outrageously funny mystery, “Murder, Las Vegas Style.

Click here for more information.