Longtime Vegas Fixture, “Marriage Can Be Murder” Closes at Rio
“Marriage Can Be Murder,” a dinner show that ran for an astonishing 27 years in Las Vegas, has closed at Rio.
Taking its place is another long-in-the-tooth crowd-pleaser, “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding,” further proof original ideas have become as scarce as talent at a Gordie Brown show.
“Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding” opens Aug. 13, 2026, at The Venue, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a publication as stale as this show, but without the delicious Italian food.
“Marriage Can Be Murder” was an interactive comedy murder-mystery dinner show in which audience members followed clues and tried to identify the killer while eating a multicourse meal.
“Marriage Can Be Murder” was one of those shows that’s been around forever, and only really got attention when it opened or closed. It was a workhorse, enduring changes of location and surviving the mid-tier production show landscape in Las Vegas. And by that we mean mid-tier production shows have pretty much gone away. “Marriage Can Be Murder” outlasted just about everybody.
You don’t have to be white or middle-aged to enjoy “Marriage Can Be Murder,” but that was definitely the demographic sweet spot.
Created by Eric and Jayne Post, the show debuted at the Showboat Hotel & Casino in 1999, moved to The Egg & I restaurant on West Sahara Avenue in 2000, Four Queens in 2007, Fitzgerald’s in 2008 and remained there after the casino became The D until January 2020.
During the pandemic, it shifted to virtual performances and later played a limited engagement at Hennessey’s Tavern before opening at The Orleans in February 2022. After leaving The Orleans in March 2025, it operated temporarily at Diversion Amusements on Cameron Street, then moved to Rio in August 2025.
The show’s closure was announced, as all things are now, on social media.
The heartfelt message says, “Tonight, the curtain fell on our final performance at The Rio, and our hearts are filled with gratitude. The past 10 months have been a season we’ll never forget. Together we transformed an empty venue into a place filled with laughter, celebration, mystery, and memories. Thousands of guests walked through our doors, and every night was made possible by an incredible team of people who poured their hearts into this show.”
The message goes on to thank everyone involved with the production, along with those responsible for the accompanying food and beverages.
The farewell note then mentions “God’s blessings” and closes with “Although tonight marks the end of our time at The Rio, it is not the end of our story. The mystery continues. We trust that God is already preparing the next stage for ‘Marriage Can Be Murder,’ and we look forward with hope and anticipation for what lies ahead.”
Imagine a god so powerful that he takes time out of his busy schedule to help a Las Vegas dinner show with “murder” in the title prepare for its next stage. Today we learned that when God isn’t helping athletes win games, he apparently moonlights as a theatrical producer.
Anyhoo, this is us not judging!
Cheesy, serviceable but affordable shows like this used to abound in Las Vegas. They’ve been overshadowed by the Sphere and superstar residencies.
The economics have changed, a lot. Casinos no longer subsidize shows in their venues, and they’ve removed a good number of those spaces altogether. Shows now pay rent, an arrangement called “four walling.” They get almost no help with marketing, so they have to fend for themselves.
The bottom line: Most of these shows end up at the Orleans before fading into oblivion.
All good things must come to an end, though. We’d say “Marriage Can Be Murder” met an untimely end, but after 27 years, it’s probably timely.
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