A speakeasy hidden behind a florist on West 46th

Last Call at the Vesper

The champagne is cold. The piano player is not.

It is the last Friday before the Vesper closes for good, and the piano player is dead in the champagne cellar with a glass of the good stuff beside him. Eleven people had reason to want the song to end. A story of debts, jealousies, and one very bad bottle.

Players8–12

Evening3 hours

HostingIntermediate

Written forAdults, 16+

The story

Last Call at the Vesper plays in three acts with a dinner break the script plans for. Times below assume a 7pm start; every kit includes a version for a later table.

Act I7:00 pm

The Set List

Guests are greeted by name at the flower shop door and handed their booklets. Introductions turn into a small public scandal when the club ledger is found to be missing a page.

Act II7:45 pm

The Cellar

The body is discovered below the bar. Three sealed clues are opened on cue, and each one points at a different guest with a different reason to be downstairs.

Act III8:45 pm

Closing Time

Dinner is served while alibis quietly collapse. The host reads the solution aloud and invites the guilty party to confess before the last toast.

The cast

Six to 12 roles are written; the kit scales down by folding the smallest parts into the host. Each character arrives with a public face and a private problem.

The chanteuse

Vera Sloane

Sings like a knife in velvet. Owes the club more than money.

The bootlegger

Teddy Marsh

Smiles at everyone. Keeps a list of who smiled back.

The proprietor

Agnes Voss

Built the Vesper out of a florist's back room and a grudge.

The critic

Julian Pike

Reviews the club by night and the police by morning.

Clues & evidence

Four of the nine clues

A torn ledger page with a name burned through it
A champagne cork stamped with the wrong cellar
A pawn ticket dated the night of the murder
An unsigned letter hidden in the piano bench

Props unique to this kit

A wax-sealed bottle of non-alcoholic champagne with a forged label
Twelve matchbooks from a rival club across town
A gramophone record sleeve with a note written inside

The host kit

The full running order, the invitation to send, prop build sheets, every player’s script act by act, and the sealed solution.

Read the free sample first — the guide, the invitation, one prop and the opening act — then unlock the rest with payment.

Preview the host kit →

In every kit

A full host script with cue cards and a sealed solution in the back
Character booklets for every guest, with secrets printed in three acts
Nine physical clues, wax seals, evidence tags and a scene-setting prop list
Printable invitations, place cards, a dinner menu and a matching playlist
A set of musical theatrics: cue strings for the host's announcements and the final round of reveals
A 20-minute host briefing call with one of our writers before your party

Practicalities

Unlocked on the page to print the moment payment clears. Everything is laid out for A4 and US Letter, so a home printer or a local print shop can run it off in an afternoon.

Dinner is not included — but every kit has a menu the story actually supports, and a vegetarian version of it.

Not sure it fits?

Write to hello@thedeadlysocial.com with your guest count and the room you have. We will recommend the right kit, or tell you honestly that another one suits better.

Also from the library

Another evening.

The Midnight Regatta

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Ashes at Bellwether Hall

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8–12 players$30

The Côte d'Azur Affair

A villa, a film star, and a script with one scene too many.

10–16 players$36