Killing time

Get a murder mystery with your meal at Le Velvet

by SARAH MUSGRAVE

Now that the spooky season is upon us, Old Montreal is a great area to creep yourself out with an evening walk. The tourists have gone home, and the street lamps cast pools of light onto deserted, rain-slicked cobblestones, leaving dark corners where Jack the Ripper would have loved to lurk. These days, you just might hear bloodcurdling screams coming from one of the shadowy side streets, where a grizzly murder is indeed taking place.

Okay, it's not a real killing--it's a scene in a murder mystery dinner theatre presented by Théâtre de la Ruelle. Meurtre et Mystère takes place several times a week in a subterranean cabaret beneath Auberge St-Gabriel, a spot that's not short on atmosphere. Dating back to 1754, it's the oldest inn in North America and the first local establishment to be granted a liquor license by British authorities. The basement space, called Le Velvet, was until recently centrestage for big-lipped transvestites from Germany, but also serves as a supper club. Despite the inherent campiness of theme-restaurant experiences, the stone walls, wooden beams that look like they've been charred by ancient fires and lamps glowing on red tablecloths create a perfect backdrop for a whodunnit.

The plays are in French, which will make the plot all the more mysterious for some people. Sometimes it's a gangster story set in the 1930s, but on the night we visited the setting was medieval. Diners are welcomed as guests at a banquet celebrating the marriage of the pompous Comte Simon de Pontour and conniving Contesse Mathilde de Tourniac. Rounding out the cast are her sulky daughter, a prisoner called Garin and a court troubadour, all of whom are suspects when the count is stabbed through the heart. He dies a slow, drawn-out death, clutching a piece of red material to his chest.

Between each act you have time to eat and consider the suspects before the story continues to unfold. In keeping with the medieval theme, there are no utensils, or at least no forks. You sip the soup straight from the bowl. It was a tasty vegetable potage accompanied by satisfyingly fresh rolls.

The main course offered a choice of fish or poultry, so we got one of each. The dishes are dolled up in fancy names, but it's pretty basic French cuisine. The Prise du pêcheur Breton consisted of two sizeable pieces of salmon filet in a lightly herbed sauce. The Poulaille de la Basse-Cour Seigneuriale was also fairly unremarkable, a simple chicken breast in a slightly sweet honey-Dijon type sauce. Both were served with delicious green beans that still had a nice crunch to them and little roasted potatoes that you could easily pop into your mouth without a fork. The dessert was a fluffy multi-tiered mousse cake served over English cream.

It's really more about the ambiance than the food. The actors, decked out in period costume, are talented and full of witty repartees at the expense of the crowd. If the words "audience participation" make you cringe, just remember that it's a lot more fun if you join in the questions when the investigation gets underway. Shy folk shouldn't worry too much as there are always a few know-it-alls with their hands waving in the air, begging for attention. Watching the crowd is quite illuminating too, as lightbulbs slowly go off over the heads of even the most dim-witted.

At the end, we all voted on who the murderer was, and the guilty party was revealed. My companion and I both got it wrong, but the night was right for a Halloween mood.

Meurtre & Mystère

Address: 420 St-Gabriel

Phone: 525-6279; reservations required

Hours: Fri & Sat at 7pm (three hours); some weekdays

Best features: ambiance, acting, general hilarity

Vegetarian friendly: no

Credit cards: Visa only

Wheelchair access: no

Alcohol: yes

Price: $45/person including tax and tip, not drinks

Rating: HH 1/2 out of HHHH