You’ve been invited to an exclusive, otherworldly party where echoes of the past hang heavy around you. You sip on sweet liquor and entice your tastebuds with various amuse-bouche as you socialize with other curious diners. A beautiful woman with a flower in her hair asks you to dance to a hit 40’s tune floating through the air, telling you she’s always wanted to come to Hollywood, to be a star. Her eyes are sad. A suspicious man flits through the crowd and stares at the woman—she turns away, clearly uncomfortable. Eventually the gentle sound of the music fades as the woman confronts the man, accusing him of having murdered her over seventy years ago. You realize you forgot to ask her name, but she announces it: Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia; and he is George Hodel, long suspected as her killer who evaded justice. He appeals to her lust for stardom and she gives in. They leave together as guests beg her not to go. The room is briefly silent, thick with horror. You’re about to dine with the dead, and this was just the first course.
To Live and Di(n)e in LA is Drunken Devil’s latest foray into curated events from the wicked mind of Matt Dorado. Known primarily for his decadent, deliriously themed parties, Live and Di(n)e is a new venture for Dorado: a four-course meal paired with beautiful cocktails that slides seamlessly and eerily through time, through crime, through dance and chatter and heady glimpses into the afterlife of the damned. The long-dead spirits that join guests at the dinner table are friendly, but not good; charming, but not safe. The guests are here to dine with the violent dead and those who fell victim to them: Harvey Glatman and Judy Ann Dull, Susan Atkins, and Richard Ramirez.
The dinner itself is rich and lavish, laid out with care by Chef Felix Barron IV. Raw oysters and sesame seed bagels, razor clam chowder, pork shank, and tres leches cake are each paired with cleverly titled cocktails from Drunken Devil’s beverage director Mike Kinshella. These courses each coincide with different famous murders. Light snacks are served as guests mingle with the transcendent Briana Roecks as Elizabeth Short and the quietly intense Nathan Turner as George Hodel. Roecks in particular brings a grim severity to her performance; the genuine tragedy of the Black Dahlia’s short life becomes so much more apparent when she stands wide-eyed and hopeful before you, clasping your hands, telling her story. This encounter is followed by a macabre marionette act from Rasputin’s Marionettes, a gifted troupe that provides a remarkably fresh take on a classic form of entertainment.
The music genres shift throughout the evening as courses are paired with the hits that correspond to the timeframes of each murderer’s crimes—a welcome touch from Dorado that does not go unnoticed. Sean Owens as Harvey Glatman and Dana Benedict as Judy Ann Dull open the sit-down portion of the evening with a glimpse inside the broken mind of the Glamour Girl Killer, followed by a stunning modern dance routine choreographed by Tucker Barkley.
The main course arrives with another strong performance from Dasha Kittredge as a laser focused Susan “Sexy Sadie” Atkins, luring many diners in with her warm personality before revealing the manic depths behind her friendly facade. Her course is followed by a tempting and terrifying burlesque routine from Kat Martin with wild eyes and a sense of genuine fear in her expression.
The dessert course brings the night to a close with Daniel Palma as Richard Ramirez, easily the most simultaneously charming and threatening companion of the evening. He proposes a toast to the infamous dead and their victims, refusing to apologize for who he was and what he became. Ramirez closes the evening by arguing that we must be true to our own nature, even if it reveals the monster inside us.
To Live and Di(n)e in LA gives guests the unique opportunity to explore a bit of hedonism and embrace their own human nature amongst examples of the worst of our kind. Dorado expands his already impressive arsenal with a new fusion between a night on the town and a brave immersive production; this style of party is where he truly shines. There’s something for both the libertine and the theatre purist to be found here, if you take time to explore; after all, the Devil is in the details.
You can find more information at Drunken Devil’s website, or follow them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can find tickets to their upcoming Halloween party, Night of 1,000 Devils, or their recurring burlesque brunch show Deviled Eggs by clicking here.
Thank you to Forest Casey for all of the wonderful photography in this article.
