Murder is a Drag Wake the Dead with Dandy

Murder is a Drag is a whodunit murder mystery dinner theatre event hosted by Vancouver Mysteries which is a local adventure game company.

Murder is a Drag events take place in Vancouver about once a month. On May 24th it’s Rhinestones Are Forever and on June 21st it’s Dinner Date With Death.

This article has information about Vancouver Mysteries’ Murder is a Drag dinner theatre shows which take place indoors. The article also has a tiny bit of information about Vancouver Mysteries’ other games, most of which are adventures that take place outside in the streets of downtown Vancouver. Most of what you’ll find in this article, however, is about the indoor dinner shows.

To learn more about Murder is a Drag dinner theatre events, see the vancouvermysteries.com website or continue reading below.

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Murder is a Drag Dinner Theatre with Vancouver Mysteries

Outdoor adventure games you can play with Vancouver Mysteries in the streets of downtown Vancouver include Crime in Downtown, Secret Mission, Ghost Patrol and Heroes & Villains. With these games you and your friends get to be detectives, secret agents, ghost hunters or superheroes while you solve scavenger hunt and escape room-style puzzles and riddles.

In addition to the above outdoor adventure games where you have to run around outside (or at least walk and think quickly), Vancouver Mysteries also hosts a couple of murder-mystery games indoors. One is The Case of the Hotel Detective which you can play at a downtown hotel or in the comfort of your own home (if you live in or close to the City of Vancouver).

Another murder-mystery game with Vancouver Mysteries is Murder is a Drag. Murder is a Drag includes a live show, a meal and a mystery to solve.

The scripts for the Murder is a Drag show are written by Tanya Bennett from Vancouver Mysteries and they are real murder mysteries. They involve a number of suspects, family members with lots of personality, and (of course) a murder. Your job is to figure out who committed the crime.

For full details about the murder-mystery and outdoor adventure games, see the vancouvermysteries.com website.

Wake the Dead Show in 2025

Wake the Dead was a Drag event on April 5th. Doors opened at 6:30 pm while the show and dinner kicked off at 8:00 pm. The event took place at the Delta Hotels Vancouver Downtown Suites at 550 West Hastings Street.

The room was set up to look like a venue for a memorial service. Black attire was encouraged. There was a scripted show with various cast members and props around the venue. This particular show starred award-winning performer Dandy as the group’s newest detective.

The April 2025 event included a two-course dinner provided by Stock & Supply. It was a choice of roasted cage-free chicken breast or a vegetarian cyprus bowl. There was tiramisu for dessert. Wines were also available for pre-order at an extra charge.

For full details about the murder-mystery and outdoor adventure games, see the vancouvermysteries.com website.

Rhinestones Are Forever Dinner Theatre in 2025

Rhinestones Are Forever is the third instalment in the Murder is a Drag Series by Vancouver Mysteries. During the Dine Out Vancouver Festival season in 2025, the show ran on Fridays and Sundays between January 22nd and February 9th. These events took place on the second floor of the Water St. Café at 300 Water Street in Vancouver’s historic Gastown district.

The show is back again in May, but at a different location. It runs on Saturday, May 24th, at both 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm. Shows take place on the second floor of the Delta Hotels Vancouver Downtown Suites at 438 Seymour Street.

For the Rhinestones Are Forever show, the room is set up to look a little bit like a wedding reception venue (although with just modest decorations).

A buffet dinner is included with the 7:00 pm show. Guests get to eat between 6:00 and 6:45 pm. On the other hand, the later show includes one drink and one snack per person.

Once each show begins, everyone is seated in rows. During the first intermission guests have a chance to collect clues and solve puzzles. Then, in the second intermission, everyone is asked to vote for who they believe to be the murderer. If you guess right, you’ll get a chance to win a prize. The show features drag performances and the mystery keeps everyone engaged. There’s also a bar selling drinks during both shows.

For full details about the murder-mystery and outdoor adventure games, see the vancouvermysteries.com website.

Murder is a Drag with Vancouver Mysteries — Rhinestones Are Forever at the Water Street Cafe

Dinner Date With Death Show

Dinner Date With Death is the first chapter in another series of Murder is a Drag shows. The event runs twice on the evening of Saturday, June 21st in 2025. The first show starts at 7:00 pm, with doors opening at 5:30 pm. Then the second show begins at 9:30 pm with doors opening one hour before.

As was the case with the Rhinestones Are Forever show in May, the first Dinner Date With Death show includes dinner while the second comes with a snack and a drink. As of early May, additional details about the Dinner Date With Death event are to be confirmed.

For full details about the murder-mystery and outdoor adventure games, see the vancouvermysteries.com website.

Tips and Advice

Tips below are good to know before attending a Murder is a Drag show.

TIP #1: Although it is a scripted show, guests can participate in the action. If you’d like to say a line or use an important prop during the show, arrive early and make a request. Of course, for folks who would rather just enjoy the show and not be involved, there’s no need to worry. You won’t be picked on unless you volunteer.

TIP #2: Guests are encouraged to dress up for the occasion, although there’s no mandatory dress code to follow.

TIP #3: Depending on how many people you attend the show with, you might be sitting at tables with family members, friends or strangers. You have the option to solve the mystery on your own, but it’s even more fun to get to know the people around you and work together as a team.

Tips About Other Games

TIP #4: Indoor games you might like to play with Vancouver Mysteries are The Case of the Hotel Detective and The Legend of the Gastown Gold. They are escape room-style games, although you don’t have to escape from anywhere. Similar to the dinner theatre shows, you do have to do detective work, and they both also usually involve food.

TIP #5: If you like puzzles, escape rooms and scavenger hunt-like games, we recommend you also heck out Vancouver Mysteries’ outdoor adventure games. Crime in Downtown, Secret Mission, Ghost Patrol and Heroes & Villains are all lots of fun.

TIP #6: If you use the promo code BESTPLACES you can save 10% on each of the above four outdoor adventure games. The discount isn’t valid with the indoor murder-mystery events. It will save you 10%, however, if you want to be a detective, secret agent, ghost hunter or superhero while running around downtown Vancouver solving puzzles and riddles.

Murder is a Drag Video

For an idea of what to expect at a Murder is a Drag show, check out the video below. It shows scenes from when we saw the Rhinestones Are Forever version of the production. Aren’t the actors hilarious! We had such a great time! (Note: The actors vary. Some might be the same when you see the show while others might be different.)

Other Information

For information about all of Vancouver Mysteries’ games, see the official vancouvermysteries.com website or our article about Vancouver Mysteries Adventure Games.

To learn about our experiences with the games, see the following articles:

Other articles that might be of interest include the following: