My interview with Magician, Micah Cover

So I had the pleasure of interviewing master magician, Micah Cover, on”Sharpo Says” on Blogtalkradio.com/sharpo.  We discussed his show, Haunted Housecalls.  He is a fascinating guy and his knowledge of the paranormal is superior.  He also reads the tarot and we discuss the meanings within during the segment.

I didn’t get to share a snippet of  the new murder mystery Nora and I are writing.  I did post it http://www.sharpo.com/murder_mystery_stories.html so you can at-least read it.

I am off to do a live event at the Ventana Grill in Pismo Beach.

Choosing The Best Entertainment For Your Party

By Nora and Eric Sharp

There is a vast selection of types of entertainment available to consumers today. While this is great for versatility, it can still be confusing. At Sharpo Inc. we plan, participate, and perform in hundreds of parties
and events each year and have learned and seen what works best for certain groups. In this blog, we will highlight the difference between atmosphere entertainment and staged entertainment.

Atmosphere entertainment involves certain themed entertainers with a specific task to perform throughout the party. Examples of this would be “Living Statues”, jugglers, tarot card readers, etc. This form of entertainment is great for groups that know each other well and could use a good conversation starter to
enhance the party. Atmosphere entertainment is also fun for photo opportunities. Staged entertainment is a full program tailor made for your party or corporate event. Interactive events such as Sharpo Murder Mysteries, Dinner Court, Sketchlers Comedy Troupe and live stand up comedy are some of the best forms of
staged entertainment. These parties are interactive and suitable for all types of audiences. The talent of the performers not only add laughter to your event, but by encouraging everyone to participate in the merriment it also gives the opportunity for each guest to shine and be actively engaged in being the party
instead of just watching it.

Entertaining should be enjoyable for everyone including the person organizing the party. Remember to keep your goal in mind for the occasion and just have fun. Sharpo.com is here to help. For more ideas log on to Sharpo.com or call us at 818-909-9605.

MURDER MYSTERY MEMORIES

By Eric Sharp

Autumn 2008 – As we roll into our busiest season ever, I have been thinking of the fantastic celebrities who have been in attendance over the years to see me play detective in murder mystery.

One night, several years ago, I played the Academy Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. This was also the venue where the very first Oscars ceremony was held in 1928.

I played there a couple of times. One night in – Nineteen Ninety Something – there were several legends in the house. Red Buttons was there. I asked him to stand and I interrogated him. I said, “Mr. Buttons, if that is your real name…” and he said his real name was “Blue Zipper” but “you can’t open with that”. Wonderful smile. A gentle soul. He made me realize that the bigger the star, the smaller the ego. Gene Barry was there too. I remembered that Gene was the first ever Columbo Villain in “Prescription Murder” back in the 60s. I interrogated him. He never smiled. I was upset but I realize now he was just playing along - acting cagey like a good suspect should.

You know who was there that night? Jack Klugman who played Oscar Madison on the TV version of the ODD COUPLE. He later achieved critical acclaim as QUINCY, the crime solving medical examiner. I asked him to attend to the body of the murder victim. Mr. Klugman had just had throat surgery and couldn’t speak but he grinned from ear to ear in his inimitable style. I always loved Klugman. Tom Bosley was there that evening – Yes Mr. C from Happy days and Father Dowling from his own TV Mystery show. I grilled him and said “Clever Boy” — I felt like the Fonz. That night, Mr. Blackwell signed a dollar bill for me as a handwriting sample. I think that was the night that Jennifer Love Hewitt came in a green wig for her 18^th birthday party dinner with her folks. Not sure.. That might have been a different night. Whatever night that was, she was lovely then and lovelier now. Just this year in 2008 I met Scott Wolf – Jennifer’s co-star on Party Of Five. I had the privilege to play for a private audience made up of his family and friends. I went undercover that night. I was a sheep in wolf’s clothing. That’s right. Those Wolf boys are not only impossibly handsome TV and Movie Stars but they are also really nice guys. That really burns me up.

Once, when I played a Murder Mystery Dinner at Yamashiro’s in the Hollywood Hills, I had David Faustino in the house. He played Bud Bundy on Married With Children. He was there with a group of 10 or so from his family. I put him in a police line up and called him Bundy all night. He was a fantastic sport. He kept pulling me aside and asking me to interrogate his family members. Nice guy.

Oh there are so many moments… I’ll write some more soon. It just goes to show you that Hollywood’s elite has the same thirst for Murder and Mystery as everyone else Who knew?

The Real Players In Murder Mystery Theater

The Real Players In The Murder Mystery Event Industry

By Eric Sharp, President and CEO of Sharpo Inc.

There sure are a lot of murder mystery troupes out there these days, aren’t there? New companies seem to pop up every day in every city all across America. Why? Because

A good murder mystery is exciting. A good murder mystery is challenging – And when an interactive murder mystery event is done correctly, it gives the participants the opportunity of escaping into a different world – full of intrigue and suspense.

So how do you choose the right murder mystery troupe for your party? That depends on you. Do you want serious sleuthing or character driven comedy? Or do you want a little of both? Do you want high camp or actors that blend in to your party? Do you want a contemporary story or do you want to be transported back to the Roaring Twenties or Victorian England? Do you want a Hard boiled, Noir feel or do you want Sopranos style parody? So many choices!

I did my first mystery in 1989. I was 23 years old and had never seen anything like it. This was a good 10 years after the craze started but it was still new. At the time it was popular to call it ‘Audience Participation Theater’.

I did over 200 performances with a campy NJ based theater company who promised “Suspense For Hire”. The mysteries were ridiculous with outlandish characters wearing feather boas and dear stalker caps. They were fun, though, and I loved doing my comedy shtick – table to table, making people laugh. I was hooked on the gig and even wrote one a silly script myself. I understand that the company in question is still performing that” Mystery”.

I moved to Los Angeles in the early 90’s and by then they were calling it ‘Interactive’ or ‘Environmental’ theater. The shows out west were different, too. The emphasis was now on having the actors blend into the audience. Part of the mystery was trying to figure out who was part of the cast. I really enjoyed this style of murder mystery. The plots were clever, too. The only problem, as I saw it, was that great actors were being under utilized and there was too much down time where the audience was not being entertained.

The one character that was not a ‘blend in’ was the detective. Soon I was cast as the lead detective and began performing all over the USA. I auditioned – explaining to the producer that I saw the character as COLUMBO meets JAY LENO. They cast me on the spot. I did hundreds and hundreds of shows for the “Rolls Royce of Mystery Companies” as they called themselves. I am still not sure why that analogy bothers me, but it does.

In 2003, I started Sharpo Mysteries and I took what I learned throughout the years about what they now call “Immersion Theater”. Nora and I write mysteries that emphasize plot and diabolic motives, and I joined the Mystery Writers of America. Together we create characters that blend in and some that are a little over the top. We go for an environment that is “Real’ but still a little silly. We keep the stakes high, but never forget that we are here to have fun. We add strolling magic during cocktails and lots of party starters. Mystery, Comedy, and Magic - That is what we do. We have now produced and performed at thousands of events nationwide and we continue to wonder at this marvelous form of theatre.

See you at the show! <A href=http://www.sharpo.com>Sharpo.com</a><P>

Comparing Sharpo To Columbo

I am often compared to Columbo when I play Detective Sharp in Sharpo!® Mysteries. I am very flattered by the comparison but I clearly am not a Columbo impersonator. I do not dress in Columbo’s drab raincoat and clothing. Instead I wear black Dickies pants and black shirt and red tie – until I reveal that I am the investigator. Then I switch to CSI Cap and shirt. In Sharpo Murder Mystery Shows, CSI means “Call Sharpo In”. Unlike Columbo, I do not smoke a cigar. I also do not have the great shock of black (Gray) hair and I rarely talk about my relatives in my show, except when I mention my incredibly wonderful wife.

So how am I actually like Columbo and why do people always say I remind them of Columbo in my show?

Well, like Columbo, I am very polite to people – most of the time – using lots of “Sirs” and “Ma’ams” when I address people. I am always apologizing for interrupting the party and I ask a lot of intrusive questions – all in my character’s sincere desire to solve the mystery. The interesting part of all of this is that I have done this role this way since I first played the detective in 1989 in a small murder mystery troupe in New Jersey – and at that time I had never even seen a Columbo episode on TV. When I did finally see an episode of Columbo in the early 90s’ I said “This guy stole my act!” Of course, the great Peter Falk had been playing Columbo since, what, 1968? I would have been 2 years old! I have, since then, watched just about every single Columbo episode dozens of times and I am proudly and profoundly influenced by Peter Falk in my work. I have boldly used body language and gestures in parody that are very “Columbo-esque” and the audience loves it, but I will be the first to say that no one alive could do it better than the original. Knowing that, I strive to make Detective Sharp unique in as many ways as possible. Still, if they ever give me my own detective show on TV, I won’t run from the comparison. Instead I will make sure that my character displays Peter Falk’s picture in his police locker or displays a framed picture of Columbo on his desk.

Over the years I have grown with my detective role, as any decent actor would and must do in order to keep doing the show, and to keep it fresh and exciting for audiences. I have come to love drawing upon many influences, including Abbott and Costello who’s voices creep into my head when I do my 3 Card Monte routine while mingling undercover. Other greats that are invoked through my performance include Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, William Shatner, and Adam West’s
Batman!

Sometimes, in a show, when someone from the crowd calls me Columbo, I know they hear it in my voice or in a gesture, but other times I realize that they are just telling me that they love interacting and being in a murder mystery show. They recognize that Peter Falk tapped into something universal with his character and that essence is now synonymous with the entire mystery genre.

So, Columbo always says “Just One More Thing” as he re enters the scene to the villain’s dismay and the audience’s delight. What does Sharpo say? I don’t think about catchphrases much, but quite often in the cocktail party of my murder mystery, people ask me how I’m doing and the answer is always the same. I reply, “I’m living it up”. People laugh at that.

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