Sleuths Mystery Dinner - Best Dinner show in Orlando?
It's been well over 2 years since I'd visited Sleuths's Mystery Dinner Theater in Orlando and I had really loved it. It was my favorite show in Orlando and I wanted to go back just to see if things had changed. So we booked reservations on Easter weekend and, yes, things had changed.
The first thing I noticed is that they moved locations. They are in the Goodings plaza on International Drive and have a beautiful new facade. The location should attract more business for them, being right next to Mercado and all.
But then, when I went inside, it was like entering a flea market. They have a check in desk in the middle of their waiting room/gift shop. Now, when you visit Medieval Times, the gift shop sells swords and shields and family history charts. Things that make sense for where you visit. But the gift shop at Sleuths is full of everything. It's like a gift shop on the outskirts of Disney. Note to Sleuths: YOU DON'T HAVE TO SELL EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN! So much stuff that it really cheapens the atmosphere.
So the check in is painfully slow, especially if you are running late, but once they check you in and you get seated, the show begins rather quickly. We attended an 8:30 show, so they let us in the theater at 7:50. Now, unlike the basketball arena sized shows at Dixie Stampede, Medieval Times and Arabian Nights, this is a VERY intimate setting. I think there may have been 80 people in the room. And that was a full showing. They have 13 different shows that they put on a rotating basis, so if you went to see Sleuth's 4 or 5 different times, there's a good chance you won't see the same performance. That's a huge plus in my book.
So you sit down and you salad is already at the table with bread and you can start eating. Free beer, soda and wine is brought by the pitcher so that the waiters aren't in the way of the actors. And the actors begin coming in and interacting with you immediately. They talk to the guests at each table, insult the guests at each table and interact with them as if you were a part of the show. Our particular show had us as guests at a Manor in England so all references by the actors when they spoke to us were as if we were across the pond and they were somewhat unfamiliar with Orlando and it's surrounding areas.
This is a bawdy show though. The humor is rather adult at times. There are children's tickets available and I saw plenty of families with kids under 13 at their tables, but my recommendation is that you keep the pre-teens at home or the hotel for this one. The characters try to keep the language in check but some things just slip out and many of the jokes would cause a younger guest to turn to their parents for an explanation. Sometimes, an uncomfortable situation.
Dinner is served about 1/3 of the way through the show. You can choose either cheese lasagna, prime rib (for and additional $3 up charge) or roasted chicken. The food was probably a 6 out of 10. My memories from a couple years back rated the food more like an 8 or 9 but the quality seems to have slipped in my opinion. Things just didn't seem extra fresh.
But the show is SPOT ON! Hilariously acted, our show was a murder mystery with 4 suspects. You have to really be on your toes to spot subtle clues as they occur around the room or are hinted at in brief conversations. After dinner, tables are encouraged to work together to generate a question and answer forum for the suspects to clear up any detective work and try and determine who the murderer is and what their particular weapon was. It's a giant game of CLUE, actually. But a heck of a lot funnier.
Still one of my favorite shows in Orlando for the fun (but less for the food), Sleuths Dinner Show tickets are available at discounts. But you MUST make reservations. They'll do 2 or 3 shows a night and they will all be sold out. Adults - you'll love it....it's not your typical sanitized, squeaky clean Orlando fun. Children - you'll probably not get 50-60% of the jokes but you'll have fun looking for clues and comparing your CSI skills with mom and dad. The show lasts about 2 hours.
Don
The first thing I noticed is that they moved locations. They are in the Goodings plaza on International Drive and have a beautiful new facade. The location should attract more business for them, being right next to Mercado and all.
But then, when I went inside, it was like entering a flea market. They have a check in desk in the middle of their waiting room/gift shop. Now, when you visit Medieval Times, the gift shop sells swords and shields and family history charts. Things that make sense for where you visit. But the gift shop at Sleuths is full of everything. It's like a gift shop on the outskirts of Disney. Note to Sleuths: YOU DON'T HAVE TO SELL EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN! So much stuff that it really cheapens the atmosphere.
So the check in is painfully slow, especially if you are running late, but once they check you in and you get seated, the show begins rather quickly. We attended an 8:30 show, so they let us in the theater at 7:50. Now, unlike the basketball arena sized shows at Dixie Stampede, Medieval Times and Arabian Nights, this is a VERY intimate setting. I think there may have been 80 people in the room. And that was a full showing. They have 13 different shows that they put on a rotating basis, so if you went to see Sleuth's 4 or 5 different times, there's a good chance you won't see the same performance. That's a huge plus in my book.
So you sit down and you salad is already at the table with bread and you can start eating. Free beer, soda and wine is brought by the pitcher so that the waiters aren't in the way of the actors. And the actors begin coming in and interacting with you immediately. They talk to the guests at each table, insult the guests at each table and interact with them as if you were a part of the show. Our particular show had us as guests at a Manor in England so all references by the actors when they spoke to us were as if we were across the pond and they were somewhat unfamiliar with Orlando and it's surrounding areas.
This is a bawdy show though. The humor is rather adult at times. There are children's tickets available and I saw plenty of families with kids under 13 at their tables, but my recommendation is that you keep the pre-teens at home or the hotel for this one. The characters try to keep the language in check but some things just slip out and many of the jokes would cause a younger guest to turn to their parents for an explanation. Sometimes, an uncomfortable situation.
Dinner is served about 1/3 of the way through the show. You can choose either cheese lasagna, prime rib (for and additional $3 up charge) or roasted chicken. The food was probably a 6 out of 10. My memories from a couple years back rated the food more like an 8 or 9 but the quality seems to have slipped in my opinion. Things just didn't seem extra fresh.
But the show is SPOT ON! Hilariously acted, our show was a murder mystery with 4 suspects. You have to really be on your toes to spot subtle clues as they occur around the room or are hinted at in brief conversations. After dinner, tables are encouraged to work together to generate a question and answer forum for the suspects to clear up any detective work and try and determine who the murderer is and what their particular weapon was. It's a giant game of CLUE, actually. But a heck of a lot funnier.
Still one of my favorite shows in Orlando for the fun (but less for the food), Sleuths Dinner Show tickets are available at discounts. But you MUST make reservations. They'll do 2 or 3 shows a night and they will all be sold out. Adults - you'll love it....it's not your typical sanitized, squeaky clean Orlando fun. Children - you'll probably not get 50-60% of the jokes but you'll have fun looking for clues and comparing your CSI skills with mom and dad. The show lasts about 2 hours.
Don
Labels: dinner show, nightlife, orlando, review, sleuths, tickets
posted by sweet-tooth at
8:58 AM
