Frequently Asked Questions

Much Ado Entertainment is a Pittsburgh-based production company that employs professional actors, directors, and writers. The Unusual Suspects mysteries are designed to be a mixture of theatre and improvisation, resulting in a fresh and funny brand of entertainment. This allows the audience to join in the fun by participating as much or as little as they wish.

The format of an Unusual Suspects mystery production is interactive, encouraging people to talk with one another in order to collect the necessary clues to solve the crime. Some members of the audience will even be given a few lines to read in the show. The cast also usually performs a song or two that may contain some clues or just provide a comic musical break

At the end of the play the audience is asked to pick a culprit. The person whose answer most closely matches the culprit and motive for the crime receives a prize as the best detective. For those whose answers were…not as correct or even downright ridiculous, well we have prizes for them too.

Our mysteries are interactive and comedic. We perform for those who want to enjoy an evening with some laughter. Yes, there is a mystery to be solved but for those of you who are die hard Agatha Christie fans; we recommend curling up with a good book. Our shows will only frustrate you.

Typically a show of ours interspersed with dinner tends to run about 3 hours. The show itself is roughly 1 hour 15 minutes - 1 ½ hours long and is split into 3 acts. If your time frame does not permit for 3 hours, then we recommend one of our other shows such as Survivor Improv which can be tailored to fit your desired event.

Currently we have close to a dozen shows to choose from. However since we are constantly in the process of writing new scripts (Michelle has Joe chained up to the computer), you may notice we are constantly adding new shows.

At this time we have roughly a dozen places we perform throughout the Pittsburgh area. Click on "Where We're Playing" at the bottom of this page to find out about current locations.

Of course! We are always willing to oblige our patrons, and we perform private parties all the time. We can and have performed at restaurants, country clubs, fire halls, and even people’s houses on occasion. All we need is a 10x10 space in the middle of a room. Give us that and we’re good to go.

We perform for audiences of all ages. If you’re in the mood for a fun evening, we’re right for you. However, we do need to point out that most of our shows are PG-13. Use your discretion. If you have to ask whether we’re right for a certain age group, you probably already know the answer.

We provide our lovely selves (five professional, improvisational actors), programs for the tables, fun facts, pencils so that you can figure out the mystery, a sound system and pretty much everything you’ll need for a fun-filled evening.

For the most part you only need to provide yourselves (and the food, of course if you’re planning a private party). We rarely need anything else except a few outlets for our wireless microphone sound system, a changing room with five chairs to relax in-between sets and two pitchers of water with five glasses. We're pretty self-contained.

This goes right along with question #8. We normally like to cut off the amount of people at 100-150. This is for your benefit as our shows are highly interactive. We would very much like for everyone to have a great time. Oftentimes this is harder with much larger audiences. The ambiance as well as the off the cuff remarks to hecklers is sometimes lost in huge crowds.

Pricing depends on a number of things including expected attendance and distance from Pittsburgh. Overall, we try to keep it reasonable. Call us at (412) 271-2295 for more information on pricing.

You can call us at (412) 271-2295 or you can check us out at one of the restaurants, resorts, or country clubs we’re currently playing at and see us after the show.

TIMING FOR A TYPICAL EVENING

Here is a standard timeline of our evening’s festivities

6:30 Doors Open

6:45-7:15 Soup or salad is served. During this time cast members mingle amongst the guests in character. That is to say they move about the dining area, introducing themselves and dropping hints and clues about certain plot points that may or may not be relevant to the evening’s mystery. It is usually during this time that voluntary audience members are picked to help with the show.

7:15-8:15 Main course is served.

8:15-8:45 The show begins! The first act is performed with comedy, song and enough hints to set up the mystery.

8:45-9:00 Dessert is served.

9:00-9:30 The show continues with Act Two. Characters and audience members alike work together to solve the mystery, culminating in an impromptu Q&A session where the audience gets to “grill” the suspects.

9:30-10:00 Audience members are asked to decide who they think “dunnit”. After tallying up the detective cards, the final act takes place. The culprit is revealed, justice is meted out and prizes are awarded.

The Timeline above is an estimate. Your show may be different: earlier or later.

We can usually work with you to accommodate your needs.