An Anglo /French murder mystery for large groups
This scenario was first staged at the Rose and Crown in East Lambrook Somerset in October 2007. The chef of this pub is French, so we played to his strengths and created a scenario full of entente cordiale.
Synopsis
French entrepreneur, Hugues Arseneau hopes to bring the delights of french cuisine to an ill-educated English public. With the aid of concillor Frank O'Phile and his lovely wife, Marianne, plans begin to drop into place, and all that stands in their way is the final council vote.
But he doesn't count on the English opposition to his plans, nor some betrayals which put his financial situation in jeopardy.
Can he survive the torrent of abuse, or will his dodgy French accent crumble like a croissant before his very eyes?
Participants
Five active performers in total. The MC/Detective was doubled with Hugues Arseneau, but this role could easily be taken by any of the other participants.
About 50 guests (limited by venue size) were encouraged to interract with and question the suspects throughout as they circulated around the dining rooms
Structure
Staged with Murder to Measure performers around a tradional French 3 course meal. Action took place in two inter-connecting dining rooms with introductions and final revelation in a common reception area.
Complexity
Medium - a fun event with some lateral thinking and careful observation required to solve.
Age rating
12A - contains some references to mature themes, eg. infidelity and "adult" video