Guests in this back-alley steakhouse don’t just watch a murder mystery. They’re encouraged to interrupt it.
Inside the El Paso restaurant, Gary Monteleone, founder of Monteleone’s Haunted Restaurant, has developed the building into a dinner theater production that welcomes actors of all experience levels, including students from El Paso Community College and the University of Texas at El Paso.
The current production, “Popcorn with a Side of Murder” doesn’t feel like Broadway, and that’s exactly the point. Guests are immersed in a 1960s-themed drive-in movie theater, where they must decode the murder of the maintenance man, played by Monteleone.
“I enjoy bringing in actors that haven’t acted before,” Monteleone said. “We like to open it up for anyone to participate.”
The actors said they benefit from this welcoming environment, which lets them step outside their comfort zone and do something they might not otherwise have the chance to do.
“Being here allows me an opportunity to invite creativity into my life,” actor Nadia Garcia said.
The performances vary widely, with the steakhouse putting on 50 to 52 different murder mystery shows every year, ranging from basketball courts to drive-in staff mishaps.
Audience members also get a role. Throughout the show, actors make a point of interacting with the audience, encouraging them to “shake things up and stir the pot,” as they specify in their pre-show announcements.
The staff ensures guests feel comfortable participating and disrupting, even handing out party poppers before the show begins and inviting them to set the poppers off whenever they feel the time is right. During the night, a loud pop and a burst of confetti occasionally break the tension.
The interruptions force the cast to improvise, making the stories shift from show to show.
Tickets for their upcoming shows are $70 and include a three-course steak dinner, dessert and the show. Doors open at 6 p.m. at Monteleone’s Back Alley Steakhouse, 512 N. San Marcial St. Reservations are available at monteleoneshauntedrestaurant.square.site.
Madeline Sommer is a contributor writer at The Prospector may be reached at [email protected]