Paula Abdul, in the Chesapeake Room, with her razor-sharp wit and irresistible charm. While UCAB’s Murder Mystery Dinner may recall memories of Miss Scarlett and Colonel Mustard, “Dead American Idol” puts a modern spin on the idea of the 1948 Parker Brothers’ game “Clue.” Pairing reality TV with a three-course meal, UCAB presents a night of murder, Paula and chicken parmesan. Appropriately scheduled on Friday, April 13, “Dead American Idol” begins at 9 p.m. in the University Center Chesapeake. Tickets are on sale for $5 on the night of the show from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Campus Center lobby.
p. The UCAB comedy committee typically focuses on bringing comedians to campus, but Committee Chair Brett Roth, a junior, wanted to expand its focus. “I have always wanted [the comedy committee] to bring events other than comedians,” he said.
p. Roth got the idea for a mystery dinner from an event he attended that was hosted by Murder Upon Request, the same group that is performing Friday. “My grandmother gave me tickets to a murder mystery dinner in Northern Virgina,” he said. “[I]t was amazing, hilarious and very innovative theater.”
p. The committee considered a number of different performing groups before ultimately selecting Murder Upon Request, a Northern Virginia-based theater and special events company that does both public and private shows. The troupe has a wide selection of basic mysteries, which it then adapts to fit the client.
p. “UCAB worked with the troupe to select the basic structure and then tailored it to the specific night that it will be on and to the specific crowd that will be filling the venue,” Roth said.
p. The evening will center around the mystery “Dead American Idol.” According to Roth, the event will feature an “open mic, audience participation and a satiric look on the show that has captured so many people’s attention over the past five years.”
p. Alongside the mystery will be a three-course meal catered by Carrabba’s Italian Grill. UCAB selected the restaurant in hopes that its highly regarded Italian food will add to the evening’s ambiance.