| Murder
at Marble Works |
One
of Ottawa's heritage buildings, the Marble Works
served various owners for over 138 years (erected
1866). Originally a livery stable, it was,
after only seven years, converted by then owner
William Somerville into the Ottawa Marble and
Granite Works (1873-1881). It has retained
that name (although shortened to just the
Marble Works) through its many proprietory
changes. After it was used as a furniture warehouse,
among other things, it was finally converted
into a restaurant and tavern and has blessed
Sandy Hill West with great food and atmosphere
ever since. Present owners Walter Krepski and
Alfred Friedman have owned the building since
1976. The building itself is made of grey Gloucester
limestone. The windows were added in the 1970s
and has given the building a more inviting appearance
(esp. the four facing Waller St.).
The structure is two-storied, with a full functioning
bar/tavern in its basement. The atmosphere,
with its cathedral ceiling and antique decor
(various original tools from the marble
works with written description identifying each
adorn the grey stoned walls), is rustic
and comfortable. The main floor is the restaurant
proper serving many selections of culinary fare
with its steaks being the restaurant's claim-to-fame.
The second floor is set up as a hall with seating
for 120. Its most famous use, since 1988, is
housing the Friday and Saturday night performances
of the Eddie May Murder Mystery theatre. The
restaurant serves the usual fare with steaks
as its main attraction. But of interest, other
than the New York Strip Loin and Filet Mignon
anyways, are its Salmon en Papillate, New Zealand
Lamb Chops and Grilled Mariposa Duck Breast.
All are great choices when you are in an experimental
mood and wish something other than beef to tantalize
your taste buds.
The Marble Works is a charter restaurant of
the Excellent Eateries Group, a group of restaurants
owned by Walter Krepski and Alfred Friedman,
which has grown to presently 13 eateries all
in the Ottawa area. The easily recognizable
Maxwell's on Elgin St. and The Mayflower (the
original on Elgin St. and a second location
on Queen St.) are two of the more famous
members. |
The
Eddie May Murder Mystery |
The
Marble Works has been host to The Eddie May
Murder Mysteries since 1987. The group had its
origins in North Gower back in 1984 when Mark
Monahan (the same man who established the
Ottawa Bluesfest) created murder mysteries
out of Strathmere House. It moved from there
to the Macdonald Club on Gimour St. in 1986.
By 1989, The Marble Works was hosting a Friday
and Saturday night show and has remained as
such to the present. In 1990 Monahan left active
participation in Eddie May leaving the running
of the business to Johnson Moretti, an actor
with the troupe, who added publicity director
and business manager to his list of duties.
Noel Council, the present owner, entered the
business as artistic director in 1988. After
9 years, Council took full ownership of the
business and he has turned out great mystery
theatre ever since. I decided to take in a show
and my review follows:
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| Eddie
Get Your Gun {REVIEW} |
May
27th, 2004 |
"It
was the lady in red," I say. "Yes,
the woman in the scarlet dress is the killer,"
I declare. We writers have powers of observation
that others do not possess. We can intuitively
pick up on things that others miss. All my
years of experience tell me that this woman,
this Breathless Maloney, was the one who shot
Mickey "The Mouth" Moscowitz. I
pick up my drink confident in my selection.
I see her approach me at my table situated
in front of the stage. Moving sensually across
the room towards me. She smiles like well
fed rat. I tell her that she is the killer.
She feigns ignorance which furthers my suspicions.
She asks how I came to such an onerous conclusion.
I tell her that women are not the only ones
with intuition. "Have you checked the
evidence?" she asks. I explain that my
keen powers of observation would only be hindered
with a smoking gun, a blood soaked note or
black and white photos of that evil crime
boss Rollo Tomasi. She rolls her eyes, points
her nose squarely in the air, and tells me
to look at the pictures again and I will see
that I'm wrong. But I know what's what and
the grinding of those hips as she walks away
will not distract me from the truth.
So the evening of murder mystery theatre at
the Marble Works has progressed as I sit here
and view my surroundings. Did Breathless kill
Mickey or was it one of the other characters
in the latest production of the Eddie May
Murder Mysteries. Was it Alphonse "Big
Al" Dente, the former crime lord turned
legit? The way he walks across a room, or
sneaks like a weasel in your garbage indicates
a man who has not left his criminal past behind.
Those tense eyes that seem to picture a knife
in the back of every stranger makes you happy
you are in a room full of people.Maybe it
was Eddie May, that great private dick, who
solves every case he has come up against.
All the evidence points to him. But that confident
and overtly cartoonish walk reminds you that
Eddie is above question. Or how about his
partner, Tess Tearheart? Was the fact that
Eddie is retiring and has left her for the
blonde bombshell Breathless Maloney too much
for her broken heart? Did she frame Eddie?
You suspected Stanley "Stutters"
Staccato until he was put off the list with
a bullet in the dark. Who ever it was, you
know that Inspector Seamus O'Toole will get
to the bottom of it. With the pages of his
notebook flying and his questioning voice
demanding answers, he is bound to make his
suspects slip up and reveal their dastardly
deeds. But, hold on one second, you contemplate.
Maybe he is the mastermind behind this chicanery.
You come to your senses and realize that everyone
is a suspect in this type of live entertainment.
That, of course, is the fun of it. Isn't it?
I won't ruin your evening by telling you who
was the kingpin behind these crimes. I don't
want to ruin what will be a great evening
out for you and your friends or family. Suffice
it to say that I left questioning my abilities.
They have failed me as Breathless was not
the one. I guess the gathering and studying
of evidence is important when solving a crime!
Who knew?
What I can tell you is that the Marble Works
hosts the Eddie May Murder Mysteries every
Friday (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday (7:00 p.m.)
night. The tickets are $54.00 and include
the show and a four course meal. After buying
your ticket (actually reservations are needed
as the hall sits only 120) you will enjoy
an interactive play that will make you laugh
and, at times, scare the soul from your body
(especially when the props are used). The
evening will last three hours. There are breaks
through out the night so that the meal can
be consumed and cigarettes can be smoked without
missing any the action. When the breaks occur,
the actors circulate the room (in character)
so the patrons can question them. The evidence
as it is collected is placed on a table beside
the stage for easy viewing by those amateur
sleuths in the audience. This is important
as you will receive a sheet of paper that
asks who you think committed the crimes and
what evidence you have to support your choice.
If you are correct, you have a chance to win
a prize (on this night it was free tickets
to another performance).
The meal starts off with a deliciously thick
and creamy mushroom soup. The mushrooms are
large and the added touch of ginger makes
the soup even more flavourful. Following the
soup is a great caesar salad. The dressing
is tasty and there is plenty of bacon which
is the deciding factor when considering the
worth of a salad of this type. The main course
has three selections. They are: Prime Rib
served with a horseradish au jus, Poached
Salmon served with a balsamic glaze, and Frenched
Chicken Breast Cajun style with pineapple
chutney. I chose the chicken breast. It was
served with steamed carrots and broccoli.
The vegetables were juicy but the chicken
was dry. The dessert was chocolate mousse
cake of which I did not participate as I do
not enjoy sweets after a large meal. Coffee
or tea is offered after the main course and
crusty buns are given liberally throughout
the meal.
Along with all meal choices above, the menu
allows you to add more expensive items at
addition cost. You can enjoy French onion
soup for an added $2.99. You can expand your
palate with a hot house tomato and red onion
salad for an additional $2.99. The main course
can be a 10oz New York pepper steak for an
extra $5.99. There is also a vegetarian meal
for those who prefer food without meat. With
great atmosphere, great food, and especially
great entertainment, the Eddie May Murder
Mysteries is a stupendous way to spend an
evening out.
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