“Et tu Brute?” I gasp dramatically, clutching my chest and looking wistfully out as I collapse on the steps of the Roman senate, taking the fabled and famed Shakespearean line and bringing it to vivid and dramatic life. Or at least I thought so.

When I graduated from college, I took some time off to travel across Europe. One of my stops was Rome, and on a walking tour with people from my hostel, the tour guide mentioned that these were the steps where Julius Caesar was thought to have been stabbed. Now, I couldn’t very well pass up that opportunity, and so, clearly, I didn’t. Theatrical deaths had always been this English major’s personal favorite after all.

Fast forward four years and here I am, at Via Umbria, taking part in a Roman-themed murder mystery dinner party. And what a party it was! True to form, I got to play an intriguing character (I won’t name any names), who so luckily for me was that unlucky soul cruelly murdered halfway through dinner. I took my cue (the lights shutting off), and once more allowed my inner diva to take over as I fell to the floor, pausing momentarily to gasp, one hand pressed to my heart, the other reaching forward as my laurel wreath fell off my head.

My flair for the dramatic however, was more than topped by the amazing guests we had turn up to last Tuesday’s “Terror in a Toga” murder mystery dinner party. False identities, three courses of feasting and feuding, and head-to-toe Roman garb made this dinner party a night to remember. As we sat at the table, fully enthralled with the characters around us, we experienced this story come to life with each accusation, question, or declaration of love and fealty. Accompanying this plot of intrigue was a meal worthy of the Roman Senate, and the only time there was silence on this raucous evening was when the food momentarily pulled us away from the ‘whodunnit?’of it all.

Bribery (with our Roman coins), backstabbing and bardic soliloquies were strongly encouraged, and very well received. This evening thrived because the guests were toga-lly down to party ancient Roman style: with delicious food, gladiator fights and of course a healthy dose of intrigue.

So, what do you get when you mix a room full of strangers with false identities, good food and a selection of Italian wines to dazzle? Your new favorite Tuesday night activity of course! For those of you who missed it this time around, definitely keep your eye on our calendar for the next Murder Mystery Dinner Party, and sign up to get your chance to act, eat and laugh your heart out. Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll even get a chance to one-up my delightfully dramatic dying skills. Maybe.