Best Whodunit: Get Away With Murder

An 1890s exhibition guest is found dead while watching fireworks in a Chicago crowd. A stolen painting and dead butler are discovered at a 1940s New York dinner party. A mall owner turns up dead during a zombie outbreak in the ‘80s. Mark “Seven” McClenathan has a knack for crafting scandalous whodunits for his Get Away With Murder company that puts on dinner mystery shows throughout the country.

“They’re wild, crazy, fun stories,” says the Akron-based owner and producer.

The company offers 30-plus murder mystery themes and six versions of the Interrogation Room murder mystery game show. McClenathan often pulls inspiration from real life — and lets his imagination loose, filling in the juicy details.

For example, he heard about a widow refusing to sell her downtown Nashville property to Vanderbilt University for $3 million. Her adult children took her to court and failed to declare her incompetent. While she died of natural causes and willed her property to Vanderbilt for free, McClenathan wondered — what if there was foul play? His Nashville Nights show was born, with family members as well as tongue-in-cheek characters like judge Iva Hatchet and attorney Sheila Forger rounding out a 15-person cast of suspects. Forger acts as the emcee — explaining the rules to attendees, setting up the story and reading the widow’s will — while injecting humor.

“We treat it as a game,” McClenathan says. “People are coming to have a good time. They want to laugh.”

A few actors help drive the story, and the rest of the roles are played by guests. They might pick up a prop laid on a seat — such as a feathered hat made in the company’s costume shop — and form a character on the spot, basing it off of a summary.

“It’s very interactive. It’s very much improv,” he says. “The characters have some flavor and personality.”

As the body count piles up and potential suspects reveal clues, attendees submit their guesses, and an inspector unmasks the killer.

Experience Nightmare Lane Hotel at Blu-Tique Oct. 26, or attend A Long Crime Ago at Blu-Tique Nov. 16. On Dec. 14 at Blu-Tique, try out a Christmas-themed mystery with A Christmas Carol Shadow.

Celebrating 30 years, the company continues to thrive, serving people thirsty for a mystery.

“People needed a break from the drudge of everyday life, and I think that’s why we’re doing so well,” he says. “People come to these things because they want to solve the puzzle.”

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