By John Short
It has been said that the oldest form of theatre is the dinner table. If that’s the case, then surely the dinner table’s drama is heightened tenfold by a sideshow of singers, actors, and dancers. Here are five immersive dining experiences in Boston this summer.
1. Boston Tavern Nights
First on our list of immersive dining experiences this summer in Boston is an event hosted by the celebrated Tea Party Museum on the first Friday of each month at 8 pm, where guests can enjoy traditional dishes and ales in an atmosphere reminiscent of an eighteenth-century tavern. In addition to authentic games, guests can be entertained by the Tea Party Museum’s broad cast of characters, including Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Dorothy Quincy, and the various other prominent Sons and Daughters of Liberty as they sing humorous songs, perform spirited traditional dances, and contemplate the prospect of American independence from Great Britain.
http://bostonteaparty.wearegrossa.com/events/tavern-nights
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- Read: What is Gingerline | Our guide to the immersive dining experience
2. TableMation in the Performance Dining Room
Based on Stuart Street near the Boston Common and Chinatown, on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm, guests can enjoy a three-course meal while being entertained by the animated adventures (or misadventures) of prospective chefs Nya and Ned in their show “Nya and Ned Save the World.” In a comedy of errors, guests will watch Nya and Ned’s clumsy attempt at a cooking class that, as they improve, eventually produces the audience’s fare. An interesting component to this performance is the use of 3D animated tabletops.
https://www.opentable.com/r/tablemation-in-the-performance-dining-room-at-w-boston
- Read: Immersive shows in London | 5 best shows this year
- Read: Immersive cocktail experiences | 5 of the best in the UK
3. Murdery Mystery Dinner Theatre
Managed by the Murder Mystery Company by Malden Center Station, this event, running from May 23rd to August 23rd on Friday nights at 7pm, allows guests to enjoy a three-course meal as they help to solve a murder with a cast of foul-mouthed detectives and glamorous suspects. There are several rotating iterations of this show, including a murder at a midnight masquerade, a prom night, a wedding, an eighties hair metal concert, a mafia wedding, a diamond museum robbery, and a classic LA noire whodunit.
https://murdermysterydinnerboston.com/public-shows/index.php
4. Luminara: An Immersive Projection Mapping Dining Experience
Based on Brookline Avenue between the Beth Israel Medical Center and the Inn at Longwood Medical, from June 12th to September 7th , Luminara, much like “Nya and Ned Save the World,” makes use of 3D tabletop animation that guides audiences through digital adventures to a secret underwater garden oasis and, eventually, the far reaches of the cosmos. Accompanying these adventures is a dining experience that is both ‘genetically unique,’ as well as accommodating to various dietary restrictions. There is a two- guest minimum for this event.
https://sellout-tickets.com/event/show/experience-immersive-dining-by-minalto-boston-1547902
5. Dining the Dark: A Unique Blindfolded Dining Experience at Broadway
Last on our list of immersive dining events this summer, this event, scheduled from May 15th to July 17th at Premiere on Broadway, is unlike all the rest, in that there are no actors, singers or dancers. Instead, guests are blindfolded to enhance their sense of taste and smell, to transport them beyond familiar dining routines, and, ultimately, to reteach them how to use their tastebuds.