Dinner and doom: Jersey City mystery theater has intrigue on the menu

murder-mystery-company-jersey-city.JPG "Murder at the Masquerade" invites dinner theater guests to solve the crime.  

So maybe you have absolutely no shot at the best actor or best actress awards at the Golden Globes tomorrow night.

Attend "Murder at the Masquerade" and you may just snag such an honor. The interactive dinner theater show allows patrons to be a part of the whodunit. Each night, there's a best actor award — and the crowd usually isn't lacking for talent, director Steven Hollow says.

"People really, really, really get into their roles," he says. The director bestows the honor at the end of each evening's performance. "Very often, I've had to give two or three of them out."

The plot to "Murder at the Masquerade," set at Sanai's, a restaurant in Jersey City, puts the audience at a Billionaires' Club Masquerade Ball. As with any good murder mystery, people die. Throughout the duration of a three-course meal, fake money ("No, you can't tip your waitress with it," Hollow says.) and clues are supplied to the audience, so they can attempt to solve the crime. They can question suspects and bribe people in the room with the fake money in order to obtain information that might be pertinent to discovering the murderer.

"I really recommend the calamari," Hollow says.

Several actors staff each show, but dinner guests play the rest of the parts. Various characters include Jessica Fletcher, modeled around the "Murder, She Wrote" author played by Angela Lansbury. Others are the fancifully named Rita Book, a nosy reporter; Mort Peacock, a cigar-maker; Ella Vader, a talk show host; and Dr. Feelgood, "a medical professional of sorts," Hollow says.

The dress code is fluid: Some diners come in jeans, others in ball gowns and heavy jewelry.

"The script is pretty thin," he says. "It's improvisation, on our feet."

The Murder Mystery Company, which organizes the weekly show, is a national company that puts on 2,500 such events every year. "Murder at the Masquerade," which Hollow describes as "PG-13," runs approximately 2½ hours.

This is the last evening for "Masquerade." On Jan. 18, the company debuts "Death at the Doo-Wop." Hollow describes it as a 50s-based show with high school characters "you'd love to do in."

"Murder at the Masquerade" begins at 7:30 p.m. (suggested arrival is 7 p.m.) at Sanai's, 510 Summit Ave., Jersey City. Admission $60 for three-course dinner and show. Call (888) 643-2583 or visit