An Agatha Christie-style murder mystery afternoon tea is coming to Liverpool

An Agatha Christie-style Murder Mystery Afternoon Tea is coming to Liverpool so you get to interrogate suspects and decide on the villain while you tuck into cakes!

The idea has been created by DBY Interactive Events which already runs sell-out murder mystery shows at the Everyman theatre. 

Now, in addition to its evening performance and whodunnits, audience members will be able to immerse themselves in a 1930s scene, enjoying afternoon tea while they try to solve the crime they’ve just witnessed.

Becky Brooks, founder of DBY, says the concept not only opens murder mystery up to a wider audience, it also adds to the sense that the audience is a part of the story.

“We’re Liverpool-based and we run murder mysteries at lots of venues including the Everyman, Storyhouse in Chester, and the Floral Pavilion, but this is our first ever afternoon tea,” she explains. 

“A lot of our customers who come in the evening love it and they often mention that they’d like to bring their mums or their grandmas, so we thought this would be a really nice way of putting something on in the daytime that’s a bit more accessible. 

“Because the show is set in a manor house, having afternoon tea makes it even more immersive so people really feel like they’re part of the show.

“The premise is they turn up for the will reading of an infamous self-exiled billionaire Lieutenant who’s known for not being very nice so the audience meets all these different characters while they’re having their sandwiches and scones, then when one of the other guests winds up dead they get to interrogate the others, find out who the liars are and where the affairs are happening!

“As the afternoon unfolds so will the clues about why they have all been invited.”

Becky, who writes all the DBY shows, says she takes her inspiration from classic murder mysteries like the ones created by Agatha Christie.

“I trained in Newcastle and moved to Liverpool about 12 years ago, and I love interactive immersive theatre where the audience gets to join in and get involved.

“I love murder mysteries and I thought it was a shame that they had fallen by the wayside a bit and people sometimes thought of them as old fashioned or tongue in cheek so that’s why I wanted to develop them more, mixing interactive theatre with really good performance.

“The actors who we’re working with are all Liverpool-based and fabulous, they really bring the story to life, and then the audience can just throw themselves into it – a cake and a murder, what could be better than that!?”

The cast for next week’s two shows, on April 2 & 3, are Charlie Griffiths, Samantha Alton, Neal Gavyn, James Dorman and Becky herself who’ll be acting in this particular show.

In the first half, a murder takes place and the audience sees everyone and what’s happened, then in the second half they can release their inner Sherlock, look through the evidence and take the opportunity to question each of the suspects.

“Some people don’t necessarily want to do the interrogation themselves but they enjoy watching other people doing it, so they can just sit back and have afternoon tea and watch,” says Becky.

“But other people love to really grill the characters who they suspect are lying to try and get the truth out of them. Then the third act is the big reveal which is always fun. 

“It’s such a buzz when you get the audience’s reaction, especially at the end of the show when they’re really into it and calling out. People love the excitement and looking for the clues, it’s a real way of connecting and they’re always still talking about it when they leave. 

“Our two dates in April have been really popular so we’re definitely planning more in June and July. It’s just such a nice activity to get fully involved in, and it was something that was missing from what’s out there so I hope now we’ve got this concept it will really snowball.”

The Agatha Christie Murder Mystery Afternoon Tea is happening at the Everyman Theatre on Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 April 2024. You can book your tickets here.

Get the latest theatre news for Liverpool HERE.