Culture Writer
I had a chance last weekend to experience a different kind of theater— murder-mystery dinner theater. And it was right here in downtown Long Beach.
Having completed a first run at another Long Beach venue, Ryan McFarland Productions is extending its Murder at the Conga Club at Sevilla restaurant and night club through September.
Tucked cozily away in a third floor space you’d never know existed, Sevilla’s night club is casual yet romantic, with low lighting and little round tables for two. Larger parties are accommodated in booths at the back.
Once shown to your reserved table, the friendly production staff earnestly seeks out participants for the surprisingly extensive “interactive” parts in the play. I got to read what was left of the dead woman’s diary after it had presumably burned in a fire. I took my task to heart, rehearsing my lines over dinner for what I had decided would be the proper emphasis and inflection. I take such assignments seriously.
Soon after ordering a delightful sangria, we were served salad and a lovely basket of warm dinner rolls. Somewhere in the midst of all this “activity,” the evening’s whodunit began.
Suddenly we were placed in a 1940s frame of reference with detective Jack Marlowe (Michael Kunselman) having been hired by what appeared to be the dead woman’s ghost to solve her 70-year-old murder. The play’s cast is a diverse lot, consisting of an aging Russian countess (Martha Duncan) and her “Texas” toy boy (Justin T. Whitaker), the mayor (Benji Kaufman) and his spoiled young wife (Ashleigh Arnone), and a thug of the 1940s Long Beach underworld (Victor Davila). The murder victim, Julie Rose, is played by Breanna Lolmaugh.
With so many audience members involved in the proceedings, anything can happen. You have to admire the production team, not to mention the cast, for the trust they place in their audience and for their willingness to just go with the flow. I have to say things went fairly smoothly with relatively few missteps.
After a brief first act set the scene, an ample and delicious main course was served. Ours had been chosen for us. But others were served different entrees. Our plates featured a wonderfully tender and meaty short rib of beef and an enormous flaky-crusted mushroom empanada. Accompanied by very rich cheesy potatoes, the meal was truly delicious.
During the main course, a night-club singer crooned old standards from Sinatra and others. Attendees were even encouraged to dance.
Then it was on to the mystery’s second act. At times chaotic, and always confusing, the thriller advanced persistently to its intended conclusion. It didn’t seem important that I couldn’t follow every lead. The characters were more entertaining than the plot, anyway.
After finding out who had killed Julie Rose, we were served an excellent coffee-flavored crème brûlée.
The playwright, Baron Mosely, must have had a lot of fun coming up with Murder at the Conga Club. I wish I’d done a better job of keeping track of the plot’s finer details. But I guess it didn’t really matter. We had a good time and a nice evening out.
Murder at the Conga Club continues at Sevilla Restaurant, at 140 Pine Avenue in downtown Long Beach, from June 10th through Sept. 30. Performances are Sundays at 5:30pm. Performances include a three-course dinner. Tickets are $69 per person. For reservations and information, visit murderatthecongaclub.com .
