A 90-minute cocktail theater production built around four notorious murderers is coming to Cleveland’s Ariel LaSalle Theater this month, bringing true crime, live performers and themed drinks to East 185th Street. Serial Killer Speakeasy is scheduled for seven performances on Aug. 21 and 22, with guests required to be at least 21 years old.
According to Cleveland.com, the touring production was created by William Draven, an Ohio-raised, Las Vegas-based entertainer and writer, and produced by Midnight Creative. Its four chapters draw from the stories of Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy and Ed Gein, with ticket prices reported at $55 to $65.
The show’s official website describes it as an immersive theatrical cocktail experience, pairing each story with a handcrafted drink while keeping performers in character throughout the evening. Mocktails are also available, giving non-drinkers a way into the dark little dinner-theater experiment without ordering alcohol.
Four Killers, Four Cocktails And A Very Dark Night
Each vignette is kept under 14 minutes, allowing the production to move quickly through four disturbing case studies rather than linger on one criminal history. Cleveland.com reports that Bundy’s chapter centers on a key witness whose testimony helped convict him, while Gacy’s story is told from an investigator’s perspective.
The Dahmer segment is designed to underline how predators can appear outwardly ordinary, while Gein’s monologue explores religious hypocrisy and delusion. The drinks follow the same theme, including Bundy’s cookie-butter-and-vanilla-vodka Friendly Stranger martini and a cranberry vodka cocktail inspired by Dahmer’s deceptively normal public image, according to the official show site.
Creators Say The Show Is Not A Celebration Of Murderers
Draven told Cleveland.com that horror is not the production’s goal and said the show does not celebrate infamous murderers. He has described the experience as a primer rather than a deep dive into criminal history, with the final section turning attention toward victims and the communities affected by the crimes.
That framing also appeared in coverage of an earlier stop by Phoenix New Times, which reported that Bundy’s story was connected to Carol DaRonch, whose testimony and identification helped prosecutors, while Gacy’s segment followed a law enforcement investigator. For a production using cocktails and jump scares to revisit real violence, the effort to center witnesses, investigators and victims is more than a footnote.
What Cleveland Guests Should Know
The event will take over the Ariel LaSalle Theater for two nights, with the current Fever listing describing a 90-minute, 21-and-over experience with valid identification required, ADA accessibility and mocktails available upon request. The venue is a former neighborhood theater that dates to 1928 and now hosts events, making it an appropriately theatrical setting for an evening where the drinks come with case files.
Serial Killer Speakeasy is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 21, and Saturday, Aug. 22, in Cleveland. The production’s premise is undeniably designed for the true-crime crowd, but its stated challenge is to leave guests thinking less about the mythology of notorious killers and more about the people who had to live with the aftermath.
