Steph MangoldSitting in the candlelit dining hall of the Mansion, attendants at the annual Murder Mystery dinner were in tune to what some of the talkative guests at the Les Pommes restaurant had to say.
The setting: Les Pommes Restaurant;Baltimore, Maryland; 1948.
After the long hours of planning and advertising went into this year’s Murder Mystery dinner, as part of the Campus Activities and Programming Board’s Shocktoberfest, only 50 spots were available for students who wished to attend the event. Filling the Mansion’s dining hall on Wednesday, Oct. 29t, at 6 p.m., students were seated at tables with a paper that gave a brief description of each of the suspects.
“We want everyone to have a good time and to enjoy being in the “haunted” mansion,” freshman Jessica Baliski, a chairperson for the event, said.
A buffet-style dinner of meat or vegetable lasagna, caesar salad, string beans and breadsticks was served to the apprehensive attendants, all of whom were eager to unleash the mystery that was soon to occur. During the dinner, all of the hosting people meandered around talking to students about the other people in the room. They all had something nasty to say about another, but always kept themselves to a secret.
It was time for dessert; a chocolate cake. Arnold, a clumsy waiter, brought the dessert to one of the men, who was the head-host of the dinner party and who was assumed to be one of the most conniving and evil people attending. He wanted a piece of cake that was made separately, designated to be his, so that it would not have been contaminated.
When this man consumed his chocolate cake, he died instantly.
The hostess announced that there was a murder, and the students later learned that he was poisoned.
By reading clues that were being passed around, speaking to the actors, and public questioning, students were given the opportunity to find out “whodunnit?” and “whydunnit?” Each student was asked to fill each of the questions out on their ballot, and hand them to whomever they were suspecting.
The hostess called all of the suspects to the front. She went through each one of them and explained why that person would want to have killed this person. However, she also explained why this person was more valuable to the suspect alive. Several students had guessed the murderer and his motive correctly.
After the dinner, the actors introduced themselves and what they really did for a living, outside of this production.
“It was a good time. It was frustrating trying to keep all of the clues together,” freshman Christine Blom said.
Posted to the web by Stephanie Mangold
