|
During their night of entertainment, all the guests get involved
in this team-building experience. They share clues, interrogate
the actors, play scenes with them, and use their best Sherlock
Holmes techniques to draw out the perpetrators. They divide
into teams to solve the mystery; the winning team gets prizes
and acclaim.
But everyone goes away from the show feeling
like a star. "The whole idea is to get every person involved,"
says Aida Coulter, the head writer and producer of the company.
"Everyone gets clues to play that make them the center
of attention.
The actors in this company are specialists in improvisational
comedy, an art form in which San Francisco leads the nation,
and indeed, the world. In these mystery events, the actors
start with a basic script, but can change it at a moment’s
notice to fit the mood of the crowd, and to allow guests to
start their own scenes.
The result?
"Not only is it a great team-building event; it is fun,"
says Craig Coulter, the director of the event.
Fun is the major component in their shows. Rather than being
stuffy, Metropolis’ events are laugh-filled nights
of entertainment.
"We find that laughter brings people together. It inspires
camaraderie. It makes team-building not only a learning process,
but an exciting and joyful experience" says Craig.
The actors all look excited to be there, and each delightful
character contrasts with the others. There’s the oh-so-innocent
ingenue, the slimy Machiavellian rogue, the world-weary antagonist,
and the simple, but determined detective. These players set
up an intricate net, and watch as the best laid plans of the
would-be criminals start to fall apart, with hilarious results.
This
is not a mystery where no one knows what is going on until
the end. This show plays with our expectations of "Whodunit?"
and turns them upside down. When a player leaves the room,
we wonder if they’ve left to do someone in. As the leading
lady moves to check something out in the kitchen, the audience
yells, "Don’t do it! Mary, be careful!" When
someone lifts a glass of wine to their lips, they yell, "Don’t
drink it! Someone is trying to poison you!" The actors
delight in playing with the mystery conventions. A sip is
almost taken, then the glass is put down, then back to sip,
until the suspense is unbearable…and then the glass is
dropped.
The talented actors have the ability to play off the guests,
and make jokes on the spot specific to the group being entertained.
"We get background information from our clients. We tailor
each show to their company. We have fun information on the
individual guests as well.
"We are the best interactive theater out there, if I
do say so myself," says Aida. "What separates us from other murder mystery companies is the fact that we are comedy improvisers. It's a full scale show with lights, sound & music."
On any given night, the cast has a combined 80 years of acting
experience under their belt. What separates us from other murder mystery companies is the fact that we ARE comedy improvisers. As Craig relates, "We hire
the very best actors, with lots of stage and screen experience.
We deliver the most interesting scripts. And we stage it so
that it is the most entertaining night of sleuthing they will
ever have."
And they laugh themselves silly while doing it. As Craig and
Aida say, "You could die laughing."
|
