FAQs

Is It Suitable For What I Have In Mind?

Our events are a great fun experience for all ages: a dramatic crime scene and a clue solving game (usually with food). You can enjoy these special evenings with your friends, or family, without the headache of having to organise it yourself. A great idea for birthdays, Christmas parties, that special occasion, Masonic ladies’ nights, your club or society themed evening, charity fundraising event, or just for the fun of it with friends and family at your own home, or at your favourite restaurant. We also run corporate events such as product launches, conference dinners with a difference, or as an ideal way to getting people together at training courses.

Are Your Events Online Or In Person?

We perform both types of event. For example for a company where employees might work out of different offices or from home in various locations/countries/time zones and where it would not be practical to meet in person then our online events are ideal. They are still hosted by our actors in period costume via Zoom with scenes being acted out live and teams being put into breakout rooms in order to solve the murder. At our in person performances you will be entertained by Sherlock Holmes assisted by Doctor Watson – around a dozen scenes leading up to the denouement are performed in theatre style with the victim, suspects, and murderer being volunteer members of the audience who we dress up in period costume.

When Is A Good Time For Murder?

Practically any time is a good one for murder. Most of our bookings take place on a Friday or Saturday evening but we can be booked for any night of the week, and most afternoons as well. Special days e.g. Bank Holidays, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Easter are particularly popular and get booked up many months, and sometimes years, in advance.

How Many Actors Will Be Present?

Our players, many of whom are ‘Equity’ members, all belong to a Sherlock Holmes society, and hence will add realism to the evenings, which are performed in full period costume. Depending on the size of your event you can normally expect two actors, a Holmes and a Watson e.g. for a typical medium-sized venue with between 50-100 guests. Smaller groups e.g. a party of 20 held at your home would only require just a Sherlock Holmes, while for larger events we provide extra players as appropriate. All other roles i.e. those of victim, murderer and suspects are taken by the guests who are dressed up in Victorian costume and briefed on what they need say and do.

Can I Choose A Plot?

Yes. We have a number of different scripts which are adaptable for most occasions. In addition there are special scripts for Christmas, parties (Birthday, Anniversary, Hen Night etc.) and Masonic events. We also have bespoke scripts for events held on boats/ships and railways. Each plot is designed with a comedy element (much in the style of Morecambe and Wise or The Two Ronnies) and for a family audience, but at the heart of each is a sensible Sherlock Holmes plot which can be solved by the astute of mind. Plots can be personalised with ‘in jokes’ as required.

How Long Does An Event Last?

Events hosted online last approximately 2.5 hours, while in person performances take between three and four hours depending on the number of persons present and the food options (i.e. full sit down dinner with multiple courses, buffet, BBQ, lunch, afternoon tea, etc.). For example, with a live show in a hotel guests might begin to arrive in the bar at 6.30 p.m. and sit down to a 3-course dinner at 7.30 p.m. which will conclude with the denouement at 10.00 p.m. with departure soon afterwards. We do not act while people are eating, but during the intervals in between the courses – there will also be scenes performed in the bar prior to being seated, a mixer quiz to get people working together, and a clue hunt around the venue at some point . In some cases e.g. for training courses, on boats and trains etc. there may be a strict time limit of just a couple of hours – this can be accommodated without any problems.

How Many People Do I Need?

For a private party it is recommended that no fewer than twenty people should be present to make the evening a success (though we have performed for as few as eight with everybody taking an acting part). We believe that the ideal party size is around 40-60 guests since we will then perform amongst the audience without the need for microphones or a stage setting, though the most cost-effective type of event are our public and corporate clients where we often cater for numbers in excess of 100 or 200 persons.

Can I Have Something Personal For My Event?

Yes. All our events have a personal touch. We can arrange for every guest to be presented with a bound copy of the script in booklet form with a bespoke cover. It is usually possible to include any ‘in jokes’ in the script, and, of course, we can arrange for the ‘Birthday Boy’ (or similar) to be the victim or murderer.

How Do You Get People To Mingle Before The Murder?

Many companies only start their performance with the murder at dinner itself, leaving guests wondering if anything will happen for the first hour or so until everybody is present. We are different in that on arrival every guest will be greeted by Sherlock Holmes and encouraged to take part in a mixer quiz. This will involve having to find another guest in order to solve a clue. Having worked out the first clue they should now interrogate as many other people as possible in order to answer as many of the remaining clues in the time allowed. There will, of course, be prizes for the winners of this ‘ice breaker’ which may, or more likely may not, have any bearing on the murder that follows.

Do The Guests Get To Actually See The Murder?

Yes. Unlike many other shows the audience will see the murder take place in front of them … be it a gun shot, poisoning, strangulation or some other form of death.

How Much Will It Cost?

The general answer is much less than you might think, and certainly less than any Corporate Entertainment or Party Planner company. We manage to keep the costs down by having your guests take on the roles of victim, suspects and murderer thereby dispensing with the need for a full cast of paid actors (most of which would only called upon for a single scene). The final cost does depend on distance travelled from our base in Cambridge, number of guests and number of actors required. Prices start at just a few hundred pounds for a fully inclusive evening. We believe this makes us the most cost effective live entertainment available at only a few pounds per head.

Are You A Comedy Theatre Or A Play?

No, although all our plots contain comedy we are not a comedy theatre as such. Neither do we perform a play, but an interactive evening which involves audience participation.