For those of you unfamiliar with the story of Dial M for Murder, it’s a cat and mouse tale about a premeditated murder that goes awry. A man wants to kill his wife, and hires someone to do it… But his cold and calculated arrangement doesn’t quite go to plan…
When I received the invitation for the press night of Dial M for Murder from the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, I thought that the best thing to do would be to go in completely unawares. With things like thrillers and murder mysteries, it’s best to not know any spoilers, so although this was based on an old play which was turned into a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in the 1950s, I decided to not search anything about it beforehand! In terms of storyline, it’s quite similar to things like Knives Out; a suspenseful, crime drama filled with moments where you’re not sure what’s going to happen next, and whether the culprit will be found out. I don’t want to say too much about the overall plot, just in case you decide to go and see it while it’s on tour!
As far as performances go, it was a very solid and entertaining piece of work delivered by some very talented actors. Pete Ashmore as scorned husband Tony Wendice really filled the audience with a sense of dread, and he very skillfully tread the line between sociopathic and seemingly innocent. Simon Pothecary as Max Halliday made me and my friend laugh -before the show we had just been speaking about how people in America sounded during this time period, and Max’s accent was almost exactly the typical 50s American caricature pitch and cadence. Katy Dean as Inspector Hubbard also opted for a similar caricature of a London based police officer character, but I think that fit really well with the general setting of the play. In applying these very obvious tropes to the characters, it meant that the story itself could be better understood.
The arrival of this relatively modestly produced drama is part of an initiative to bring these types of stories back to mainstream theatre. Phil and Ben of Phil&Ben Productions, said “We believe audiences in towns and smaller cities deserve regular access to outstanding live drama, and that the appetite for it remains strong. Dial M For Murder is an exciting production in its own right, but it also stands for something larger: a commitment to restoring confidence in mid-scale touring theatre and building lasting partnerships with venues and audiences.” I hope to see this as the start of some more smaller period dramas coming back to our theatres – as wonderful as contemporary theatre is, sometimes what you really need is a classic.
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