Waiter, there's a murder in my soup: immersive theatre in London

[caption id="attachment_4619" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The actors sang, dance and acted so well![/caption]

 

This weekend we found an unusual way to have fun in London - theatre and dining all at the same time! Here's what we got up to, from Robert, aged 14 and Jess, aged 18.

Robert says:

Mum, Jess and I found ourselves about to hear the legendary prima donna Marchioness du Jour perform; people would kill to hear her sing! However, we never actually got to see her in the flesh as she was found dead minutes before her scheduled performance. Detective Susan Gusset was on the case and what followed was an afternoon of clue solving, music and fine dying. The restaurant at the Troubadour theatre, a group of eccentric suspects and a three course meal: these could only be the ingredients for an immersive whodunnit and a recipe, for success.

I’m a huge fan of immersive theatre and Waiter, There’s a murder in my soup was a brilliant afternoon out. Transported back to the 1940s, Mum, Jess and I followed Susan Gusset as she unravelled the murder of the Marchioness du Jour, and found out who did it. The play – including songs – took part around the meal, which meant you could chat, and try to solve the mystery, between courses. We were given a case file to work things out and the whole performance was really different to anything we’d seen before.

[caption id="attachment_4621" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Robert and Jess read the case notes[/caption]

The food:

Further adding to the experience was the meal, which was truly delicious. There was a great array of options (including vegan) and I decided on the roasted squash soup, seabass and chocolate fudge brownie sundae. The play was performed in an actual restaurant so it was no surprise how good it was; you could say the food was to die for.

[caption id="attachment_4622" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Delicious desserts![/caption]

In conclusion we all really enjoyed Waiter, There’s a murder in my soup. The whole cast was entertaining and I particularly liked the Irish priest who kept popping up behind me. The actual whodunit was good, as was the food and all in all it was a great, and unusual way to spend an afternoon in London.

Jess says:

I'd never been to a piece of immersive theatre before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I was ready to spend an afternoon ducking people's gazes, out of fear of being involved! Luckily, I was not picked upon and I had a really fantastic time.

[caption id="attachment_4624" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Antonio Fingerelli - one of the suspects[/caption]

 

"Waiter, there's a murder in my soup" managed to combine two of my favourite things - theatre and food. It seems no surprise that I really enjoyed the experience. The plot was interesting, the play was well acted, and all three of us laughed throughout. I loved that we were sitting in the restaurant - essentially part of the set. This meant that the actors interacted with us, asked us questions, and we could see them up close. It definitely felt more engaging than a normal play or musical.

The food:

The Studio 5ive restaurant is a real restaurant, so the food was delicious. All three of us really enjoyed our various courses between the play's acts, and I had a particularly lovely mushroom wellington.

[caption id="attachment_4623" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Jess enjoyed her Mushroom Wellington[/caption]

Overall, I had a really enjoyable time at "Waiter, there's a murder in my soup". The play was funny, the food was great, and it was an exciting, lighthearted way to spend an afternoon. I would definitely recommend it.

Disclosure: We were given a pair of complimentary tickets to see Waiter, there's a murder in my soup (and we purchased a third one!), but no one from the company had any input into this blog post.

Waiter there's a murder in my soup is on until 19th March. Tickets cost £49.50 including a three course meal (Tue - Thu), £55.00 including a three course meal (Fri - Sun), £19.50 for the show only (no food included with this ticket) (Tue - Thu)  or £25 show only (no food included with this ticket) (Fri - Sun).

I should also say that this all happens in Wembley, which has so much to offer now - there are loads of shops and things to do in the area and the restaurant we went to (see below!) is less than five minutes from Wembley Park station (Metropolitan and Jubilee Line).