A KILLER NIGHT IN STUDIO CITY
I love out-of-the-box events, and that’s exactly what A Killer Night in Studio City is. Even though it’s basically a play, this is a very different night of theatre for LA. It’s interesting on several different levels. Who knew that we could have a bit of dinner theatre right in the Valley? I’ve been a restaurant and theatre critic for decades now, and this is a first for me!
The main room, with the play going on. Sara Wolter is the one facing us. Photo by Karen Salkin. The photo above, of Anthony Carro, Brittany Pirozzoli, and Noah Blake, is by Charlie Chappell.
I’m so happy that my favorite friend in the world, Ronnie Hazel, Jr., was in town for this one. He thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. And, as a world traveler, (and as my little buddy since he was a kid, so he’s reviewed plenty of restaurants and theatre with me over the years,) you can always trust his opinion.
A Killer Night in Studio City is a murder mystery that takes place in 1958. The official description is, “As the mystery unfolds around them, guests enjoy dinner curated by Vitello’s, while live performances of iconic 1950s music transform the evening into something part stage comedy, part murder mystery, part supper club, and part Hollywood time machine.” Who could resist something like this?!
The way it works is that the audience is divided into two groups as they arrive. One goes upstairs to the Velvet Martini Lounge to get seated while the other goes downstairs to a smaller room to see the first scene of the play, which is a memorial service for a young actress. Then the groups switch.
I was so dazzled by the buffet that I forgot to take pix of it! So here’s my own plate–well ONE of them! Just look at that delish garlic bread! Photo by Karen Salkin.
Once everyone is together upstairs, the very generous buffet is served in the bar area. Vitello’s Italian restaurant has been a staple of LA cuisine for decades, so the food is a big attraction. The fare consists of a delicious Caesar salad and big slices of garlic bread, (both of which I loved,) two types of vegetarian pasta, meatballs, chicken parmigiana, and then bite-sized cannoli for dessert—I could have eaten a dozen of those! And the eatery very happily refreshes the dishes all night, which I really appreciate. (If you have dietary concerns, I suggest you call the day before to work something out with them, as one member of my foursome did.) Coffee, tea, and soft drinks are included.
The audience then brings their plates back into the dining room, and eats while the show goes on around them. But shockingly, when we saw it, there was not a lot of dining noise during the presentation! No glass clinking, so utensils clacking, no chomping, no chatter—I was pleasantly surprised.
The show actually has nothing to do with the infamous killing that happened outside the establishment a quarter of a century ago. (More on that in a minute.) The story is about a show business murder that takes place in 1958, (although the settings, words, and costumes seemed more ‘40s to me, but I’m not an expert on the various decades,) with so many aspects to it. There are a lot of laughs, (Ronnie especially enjoyed all the humor,) and the whodunnit mystery element, of course, and a bit of something unexpected—several classic songs! My fave was My Way by Noah Blake, which took me by surprise as the first song that popped in the scenario. Having a live piano player, Jonny Perl, tickling the ivories throughout the night, was a lovely bonus.
Ronnie mentioned that his favorite performance was by the non-musical Sara Wolter, as the gossip columnist, and I concur. She and Noah consistently cracked us up. (And Sara even offered to assist me with a menu issue when I was asking a question in the buffet area, so I thought she worked in the restaurant! So when she came into the next scene, I thought she was crashing the show!)
The mystery box on my table. Photo by Karen Salkin.
Near the end, something so fun happened. While the actors took a little break, each group opened a mystery box on their table, (you had to figure-out how to do so, which added to the mirth,) and filled-out a form with who they thought the killer was. When it was over, any table that got it right received a prize. (I believe it was a certificate for a dessert.)
By the post-performance buzz in the room, it appeared that a good time was had by all.
I have to be honest, (as always,) and admit that I didn’t quite understand the scenario, but my friends and the rest of the audience did, and seemed very entertained. The reason that I could not pay rapt attention to the goings-on is that it’s meatlocker-freezing in that room—it had nothing to do with the actors, who were working hard and giving it their all, so they were most likely sort-of warm. My whole group was complaining about the cold, but only to each other; I wish I had told the manager about it right away, but I erroneously assumed it would have to warm up soon. So I suggest to bundle-up when you see the show.
Now this is what I alluded to earlier: Besides that the play itself is fun, and the dinner is delicious, of course, the backstory is a fascinating one, which I was told by the powers-that-be that I can share with you. Noah Blake, the actor whose singing I lauded, who also directed the play, is the son of late actor Robert Blake, who was tried and acquitted of the 2001 killing of his ex-wife right outside of …Vitello’s! The press person for the show told me, “That convergence of real Hollywood history and fictional Hollywood intrigue makes Vitello’s an unusually fitting home for A Killer Night in Studio City.” I could not have put it better myself!
The interesting thing is that that knowledge is what interested me, (and I’m sure others, as well,) to see the show, but once we got inside, I forgot all about it! The dinner theatre experience took over and ruled the evening for me, which is a very good thing.
The program.
In addition to the mystery box on the tables, the producers offer several other clever little touches that contribute to a special evening. There are several items in each box, such as a little magnifying glass, that add to that bit; the programs are in the form of an old newspaper—just that extra work alone is astonishing; and we each get a “memorial booklet” about the deceased actress, Sophia Vance. (Although her name is misspelled in big letters on the cover of it, which you know drives me nuts! I accidentally added an extra letter to a word on my final Emmys post on X the other night, which got over 12,000 views, and you can’t edit on that site! Not one person mentioned it, but it’s still gnawing at me.)
Some auxiliary notes and tips for spending the evening at A Killer Night in Studio City: Get there early for maximum comfort, so you never feel rushed through the evening. Attire is nice casual to as fancy as you want to get! There were several audience members on Opening Night who dressed-up for the period, so at first, I didn’t know who the actors were going to be! I even almost cut in front of one guy on the way in because I thought he was part of the show and was going to hang back! (My bad.) And the running time of the entire evening—from entrance to dinner to end-of-show to meeting-and-greeting—is only about two and half hours!
It seems like it would be most fun with a group, but a duo is also fine. If you’re solo, (which many of my pals love doing,) they’ll seat you with others, so that can be interesting, as well.
Speaking of groups, there were a couple of audience members celebrating their birthdays there, which looked like a really fun thing to do—the cast even led us in singing Happy Birthday to them! So I recommend doing that if a pals’s b-day is coming up in the next month or so. And their last performance is on October 31, which makes it a perfect Halloween activity, so maybe look into that. (Just make sure they add a bit of candy to the menu that night!)
A Killer Night in Studio City running through October 31, 2026
Vitello’s Restaurant—Velvet Martini Lounge
4349 Tujunga Avenue, Studio City
www.akillernightlive.com
