Sleuthing isn’t just for Sherlock

One of the world’s oldest and most beloved pastimes is dinner and a show, but most of the time that show isn’t interactive. Enter ABQ’s Dinner Detective, an immersive and interactive experience that takes the diner directly into the center of a funny, gripping, and—most importantly—entertaining mystery.

Opened in 2015, local talent makes Albuquerque’s Dinner Detective location all the more special, especially considering COVID shutdowns. “We have a very wonderful and dedicated cast here in Albuquerque,” says Dinner Detective CTO Stephen Wilder. “Since we’ve come back (from the pandemic), we’ve seen our numbers continue to rise, and now we’re regularly selling out shows here.” Shows are put on at the Marriott Albuquerque, and by the end of the night, one guest receives a special honor for Top Sleuth.

“I have been to other murder mystery dinner shows over the years, and one of the things I feel sets us apart from those other shows is the level of audience interaction with the actors,” says Wilder. “We’ve set it up so our actors are not just performing for the audience, and we do our best to make it so our audience members are never 100% sure what’s real and what’s scripted.”

The Dinner Detective started as a small venture in 2004 by actors based in Los Angeles, and since then has expanded across the country. Info on prices, menu items, dress code and more can be found on their website, thedinnerdetective.com. —ET