After 35 years of comedy and “whodunnit” murder mysteries, Sleuths Mystery Dinner Theatre is closing its doors. The Orlando dinner show has been a staple in the I-Drive area.
Its three separate theater venues have been viewed as a proving ground for area actors, through both scripted and improvisational interactions with dining audiences. Former Sleuths performers include Ginger Minj of RuPaul’s “Drag Race” fame, actor Cheryl Hines and MadTV alum Paul Vogt.
In a statement released over the weekend, Sleuths owners Gary and Sandy Redmond said: “We wish that we could stay, but as a small, family-owned and operated theatre, we simply can’t compete with the multimillion-dollar theme parks and venues in the Orlando area.”
'Murder, mystery and mayhem'
Sleuths started as a mom-and-pop dinner show shop with one room in 1990 and grew into a three-theater institution offering stages full of “murder, mystery and mayhem” in Orlando’s International Drive entertainment district.
“It was immersive before ‘immersive’ was a buzzword,” explained Sleuths assistant director and performer James Honey, who has worked for the company off and on throughout its entire 35-year run.
Sleuths’ owners weren’t actively planning to close, but financial realities meant they had to be open to the possibility, Honey said. “They were kind of exploring the idea of selling, and somebody made an offer, and apparently it was exactly what they needed. The costs were rising and rising and rising, and there was no way they could keep up.”
The closing is difficult news for employees and performers past and present.
Speaking in August as Sleuths celebrated its 35th anniversary, former director and 20-year Sleuths veteran Laurel Clark said, “I think family is the overarching theme [at Sleuths], and it's what makes us all have such loving memories of the place and of each other.”
In the same August interview, Donna Ernbro, daughter of owner Sandy Redmond and business office administrator, credited Sleuths’ patrons for its remarkable 35-year run.
“Because we hear nightly, ‘Oh, I've been coming here since I was in school as a little kid, and now I wanted my kids to experience it,’” she said. “And when you hear that, it really tugs at your heart, you know. Or people have come back … after COVID, who said, ‘We're so glad you came back. We were so worried you weren't going to make it,’ and that the fact that people thought of that is pretty amazing.”
Assistant director Honey said Monday that “folks are sad to see a legend like this go, but it's not really going. I mean, let's face it, it's just the building. The family and the company, they still have Sleuths.”
“It could come back,” he added. “That's what legends do, right? They have to vanish for a little while before they can come back stronger.”
“Or maybe I'm just joking to myself,” Honey said.
After tens of thousands of performances, the curtain drops for the last time after Sleuths’ Nov. 4 show.
