Odyssey Adventure Company has turned a banquet room at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Fullerton into an Edgar Allan Poe murder mystery that is part puzzle game, part dinner show.
Nevermore was created by Lyndsie Scoggin and Morghann Stevens, who developed the experience in Lake Arrowhead before bringing it to Orange County. This is its third season and its first time at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Fullerton.
Here is how the night works. You seat yourself among strangers and your table becomes your team. Every table is competing against the others, all of us trying to solve the murder of Lenore. Only one team can find the missing item. The evening is essentially broken into chapters. Each chapter opens with a scene from the cast, then the puzzles are handed out, then you get time to work on them. The actors roam the space helping anyone willing to bribe them with the provided “coins”, which is a fun touch that keeps the cast available for audience interactions.
The puzzle load is heavy and keeps you focused on finding solutions a bit more than the performance. If you are here for a theatrical spectacle to get swept up in, the solving can take priority over the drama at times. However, the creators and cast are genuinely passionate about this project and you can feel how much work went into it. There are some unique acting moments and clever integration of Poe’s works. I thought engaging audience members in a short dance was a lot of fun. I also enjoyed the costume design and mysterious masks that add to the atmosphere.
The food is the Old Spaghetti Factory’s own, with three options, chicken with pasta, mushroom spaghetti, or a lasagna dish, plus salad, bread and ice cream dessert. You will choose your option at the beginning of the evening and mark your table setting so the waitstaff know without having to interrupt the show by chatting about food.
If you love Edgar Allan Poe and murder mysteries, this combines both. The Fullerton run wraps with one final performance on October 19, so if this sounds like your kind of night, don’t sleep on getting your tickets.
More info and tickets: https://events.ticketleap.com/events/odyssey-adventure-co
Thank you to Odyssey Adventure Company for inviting us out to the experience!
