Speakeasy, Die Softly murder mystery dinner in New York

Speakeasy, Die Softly is a murder mystery dinner show made by American Immersion Theater, the parent of The Murder Mystery Company, the troupe that appeared on ABC's Shark Tank in 2024. It has played the Sinatra Room upstairs at Carmine's, the family-style Italian restaurant on West 44th Street, since autumn 2024, and you book it on Fever, which labels it a Fever exclusive. The story is set at Lou Zar's speakeasy in Prohibition New York of the 1920s: a mob family's back room behind a 'legitimate Italian restaurant', a house singer called Lucy Morals and her pianist playing original songs, and, once the feds come sniffing, a body.

Doors open 30 minutes before the start. As people find their seats the actors work the room and pick 8 to 12 guests to play suspects, marked out with props and name tags. Everyone else is a detective. The play runs in three acts between the courses, with investigation periods in which you leave your seat to question suspects and compare notes with your table. At the end each table names the killer, and the producer says only an answer that fits motive, opportunity and means counts. Prizes at the end go to the sharpest detective, the most convincing guest performer and the outfit of the night.

Dinner is part of the ticket and comes family style, on platters for the table, as Carmine's always serves it. Fever lists the menu as Caesar salad, penne alla vodka, chicken parmigiana, shrimp scampi, then tiramisu and cannoli. Drinks are not included: the bar is open before and during the show. 1920s dress is encouraged and not required; the producer suggests business casual or smarter if you do not dress in theme.

The evening lasts 120 to 150 minutes. On 29 October 2026 Fever had 12 sessions on sale from 1 November to 6 December 2026, on Mondays and Fridays at 19:00, Saturdays at 16:00 and 20:00 and Sundays at 17:00, all at 139.95 dollars: 129 dollars plus a 10.95 booking fee. The producer releases new blocks of dates every four to six weeks.

This is the city's dinner show where the food and the room carry as much of the night as the plot. It held 4.7 from 477 reviews on Fever on 29 October 2026, and the reviews keep returning to the same three things: a funny cast, a generous Carmine's dinner, and how quickly a table of strangers starts working the case together. It is also central: Carmine's is at the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 44th Street, a few doors from the Shubert and Broadhurst theatres, so the 16:00 Saturday show finishes in time for an evening curtain on Broadway.

The closest rival is The Dinner Detective, which plays Saturdays from 18:00 to 21:00 at The Hideout Downstairs, 22 Warren Street in Tribeca, on 7 and 21 November and 12 and 19 December 2026. Its site lists 99 dollars before taxes, fees and an optional performer tip, with a plated dinner that has a vegetarian main, and its actors hide in plain clothes among the guests; the room is down a full flight of stairs. Choose it for a lower price and an improvised plot; choose Speakeasy, Die Softly for the costumes, the live music, the period theme and more dates.

If you want the courtroom without the dinner, The Jury Experience puts you on the jury of a staged trial for 60 minutes, from 49.68 dollars, with no food served. For a candlelit night downtown, see Catacombs by Candlelight.

Booking direct costs the same. The producer's own site, newyorkdinnertheater.com, listed every session at 139.95 dollars on 29 October 2026, and its buttons go to this Fever listing.