On a recent Saturday night in Post Falls, legendary movie star Nutmeg Vant's glow-in-the-dark party was swinging.
Vant, with the help of her butler, Theodore Winsington III, was celebrating surviving several years stranded on a deserted island with six others and making her return to the spotlight.
The party was hosted by Blissity Lovewell, Vant's best friend and, as it were, a covert British operative, at Vant's glamorous Hollywood mansion. There was music playing, balloons on every table, peace signs and flower decorations everywhere, photo backdrops, and blacklights to really make things glow.
The party, for the most part, was running smoothly, save for a few tense interactions between guests.
Farm girl Marilyn Anne, for example, had gotten mud on supermodel Wiggy's pants. Marilyn Anne claims it was an accident, but Wiggy (twin sister of 1960s model Twiggy) was convinced it was done on purpose.
At other points in the party, professional baseball player Tickey Tantle could be heard raising his voice at those asking about an incident involving a monkey, and many guests were upset when CIA agent Boston Flowers shoved his camera in their face.
Those moments aside, the party was groovy, baby, as Flowers could frequently be heard saying. But an hour into the party, Olive Formathe, a schoolteacher and Vant's cousin, let out a blood-curdling scream. One guest was lying on the floor dead, taking the party from cool to criminal.
This wasn't your average party, of course, but one thrown by Crime Scene Entertainment, a Post Falls-based company that presents themed murder mystery events. The company celebrated its sixth anniversary in March.
The first murder mystery event that owner Jen Cook planned was meant to be a one-off. Cook formerly ran a pin-up photography business and stumbled upon murder mystery events when looking for a way to entice people to come to a birthday party for one of her spokesmodels.
That 1920s-themed murder mystery party drew 120 people. A couple months later, Cook decided to host a 1980s prom-themed mystery, which sold out instantly. A few months after that, a circus-themed mystery also sold out.
Cook, who'd never participated in a murder mystery event before organizing the 1920s party, realized she might be onto something and created Crime Scene Entertainment. Six years later, she and her team of actors, who bring characters to life and help guests navigate the mystery, host about 50 events per year, plus private parties and corporate events.
"There are people that are very into the theater, renaissance fairs and cosplay, and this gives them an avenue outside of that once-a-year renaissance fair," Cook says. "For the general public that maybe is not doing those activities, it gives them a place they can pretend to be somebody else for the evening."
Participants receive information about the cast of characters when they register, then the event is divided into three rounds. Before each round, guests receive at least one envelope containing objectives, including who to question and about what. Guests also receive information about their own character so they're prepared when others approach them.
In the first round, guests and actors get to know one another and start establishing potential motives for each character. At the start of round two, the person whose character will be murdered is notified they're the victim via their clue card. When the time is right, the guest meets their untimely demise.
Other guests can now dig deeper into the case, examining evidence and continuing to question each other. In the final round, guests accuse the person they believe is responsible for the murder before everyone reads their final clue card aloud, revealing whether or not they're the killer.
While attending the glow-in-the-dark party, I feel the need to tell everyone I'm a real reporter, not part of the mystery. Actor Monica Thomas, playing the part of Vant's assistant Raquel Welcher, takes me by the hand and says "Too bad, you're part of it now," before helping me apply a glow-in-the-dark tattoo.
"I've been part of three companies, and Jen is the only one who has done this much to make sure guests have a good time," Thomas says, referring to bonus elements like tattoos, face paint and mini-flashlights to help read clues in the dark. Crime Scene Entertainment also hands out prizes to guests who correctly identify the murderer and those voted best dressed and best actor.
Participant Yvonne Hoffmann, playing festival organizer Moonbeam Rainbowshine, agrees, saying Cook makes guests feel special. A fan of mysteries, she likens the parties to an escape room without the element of being trapped.
"It's a real fun time, and you get to meet people," she says. "You have to like people though unless you want to come and be one of the grumpy characters."
Actor Lisa Farina, playing Wiggy, likes taking on the mean characters as she says it's not much of a stretch. But despite what her character card says, Farina, like Thomas, is kind to interact with everyone, even myself and Inlander photographer Erick Doxey, so each guest feels included and important.
While it's fine to sit and take a break, Cook tells guests that her events aren't set up like a play where the action unfolds in front of you. Instead, participants get out what they put in and must put themselves in the middle of the action to solve the crime, something emcee/actor Lacey Joseph, who plays Olive, reiterates at the beginning of the event.
"I really encourage people to step out of their comfort zone and give it a try, whether it's general admission and you're checking it out, or if you want to go all out on your character," Cook says. "There isn't that pressure you have to perform, but there is that allowance to come and be goofy, and everybody around you is going to be goofy. They're not going to be judging you. The reason you're coming to this is to have a good time." ♦
Up Next: Family-Friendly Easter Mystery and Dessert • Sat, April 20 at 1 pm • $25-$210 • All ages • Crime Scene Entertainment • 3960 W. Fifth Ave., Suite B2, Post Falls • Find more events at crimesceneentertainment.com
