It's almost time....for some magic....
https://www.facebook.com/790329690/posts/10159799273244691/
Emily Lucy Merkle
August 3 at 2:10 PM ·
Hey friends, make sure to watch CBS 46 news tonight at 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock because there’s gonna be a great story about Agathas! The show must go on!
Thanks, Jeff. And thanks 11Alive.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1838798256263377&id=337117896431428
Jeff Hullinger 11Alive is in Atlanta, Georgia.
July 31 at 4:11 AM · Atlanta, GA ·
Before Midtown was lined with gleaming high rise buildings, million dollar condo’s, $45 entree’s and $15 cocktails---there was danger.
Murder and a fine piece of salmon served before 11pm.
Agatha’s Taste of Mystery.
“Look! Table 2. Hugh Jackman is in the audience!”
32 years in local hospitality.
A rarity in the notoriously fickle Atlanta restaurant business, where the only constants are change and the valets who misplace vehicle keys.
1988 Atlanta: Governor Harris, Mayor Young, Marion Campbell, Chuck Tanner, Moses Malone, GA 400 South stopped at Buckhead, and an odd little business was drawing enthusiastic midtown patrons.
Now Agatha’s is on the chopping block.
No mystery here.
Agatha Christie not needed to sleuth.
Covid 19 and perhaps—a changing America have taken Agatha’s away.
“I love my job so much!!” wrote Tarek (Felipe) Berbey in an email to me, “Agatha’s took me in when I had no family in the United States, I can’t imagine my life without it.”
Agatha’s Taste of Mystery has been closed for months after the emergence of Covid, and now it may never reopen.
Employees (20) have put together a GoFundMe as a last ditch effort to keep Agatha’s alive.
https://gf.me/u/ygwhq7
“The business has been owned by Ricky Warren and Cat Angerami, they make it warm and friendly,” said Mr. Berbey, “ We’ve been frequented by many celebrities, Rep. John Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Rue McClanahan and Mr. Jackman”
Many television shows have been filmed there too.
Mr. Berbey adding, “ there are regulars who come to every show.”
The Panamanian native emphatically states, “ The staff, the actors, the food, the show all swirled together and that made for an incredible evening.”
The rules are simple.
When audience members/diners arrive, 20 speaking parts are handed out and all of the acting takes place around the tables between dinner courses.
Does that sound like a 20 something evening out? without an iPhone?
Nope.
For years, Agatha’s was across from the Fox Theatre, then the lease was lost and now they are located at 161 Peachtree Center.
The running joke among Atlanta actors, if you wanted a job there—someone had to move out of state or die.
But now the final curtain may have dropped.
Murder mystery dinner theatre was once a trend around the country.
1980’s entertainment hasn’t withstood the test of time.
Boy George, Joe Piscopo, Mr. T, Flock of Seagulls,, Fern bars, and the Safety Dance.
Decades later, Agatha’s Taste of Mystery is still alive but barely.
Mr. Berbey is hoping for a miracle, “this place (Agatha’s) has always had some magic about it, it feels like family, it feels like Atlanta.”
Alas, days of yore.
Here’s hoping Agatha’s has a killer 2021.
For 30 years we've made you laugh, now we're asking for your help to keep the mystery alive...
https://www.gofundme.com/f/agatha039s-help-keep-the-mystery-alive?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1
GOFUNDME.COM
Agatha's: Help Keep the Mystery Alive organized by Ricky Warren
If you can donate to keep Agatha's alive, we would greatly appreciate it.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/agatha039s-help-keep-the-mystery-alive?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1
WWW.AGATHAS.COM
Agatha's Go Fund Me Video