On Stage: Dial M for Murder

Dial M for Murder is considered a classic example of a stage thriller.  A new production from Smoke and Mirrors Productions, playing at Theatre Works, shows why.

Written in the 1950s by playwright Frederick Knott and made famous by Alfred Hitchcock’s film of the same name, the play tells of retired tennis player Tony Wendice’s (Tyrie Aspinall), plan to kill his wife, Margo (Bridget Bourke).

The couple’s marriage had not been a happy one which led to Margo having an affair with Max Halliday (Leon Walshe), an American crime writer.

On reuniting with Max after 12 months apart, Margo tells him that Tony has changed and they are now very happy.  But are they?

A meeting between Tony and an old university acquaintance Captain Lesgate (Joshua Bruce) reveals all. It seems Tony only married Margo for her money and while Margo doesn’t believe Tony knows of her past affair with Max – he does.

As it turns out Lesgate is as cunning and deceitful as Tony and thus proves the perfect person for Tony to hire to kill his wife.  Lesgate has little choice given the ‘dirt’ Tony has on him and the money on offer.

And it seems Tony has planned the perfect murder confident that when he dials the Mayfair exchange to set his plan in motion, his wife will die.  However, Margo is a fighter and she ends up killing Lesgate.

The conniving Tony quickly has to come up with `plan B’ which he successfully does convincing the police that his wife was being blackmailed by Lesgate and she killed him to protect her reputation. As a result, Margo is convicted of murder and sentenced to hang.

However, thanks to the work of Max and the officer in charge of the investigation, Inspector Hubbard (also played by Joshua Bruce), the truth is eventually revealed.

While director Dean Drieberg has remained faithful to the play’s script and timeline there is a major difference.  As the play progresses through its three acts, the era in which it is set advances.

Act one is set in 1950, act two advances to the 1980s and act three brings it into the modern world. This is signalled through changes in the set and costume designs including telephone devices.

Explaining his decision for this Drieberg said: “At its core Dial M for Murder is a suspense/thriller from 1952; but when I started to read between the lines, the relevance to a troubling theme stood out, one that has unfortunately remained across the last 72 years. In Australia last year alone, 103 women were murdered by men.

“Common motivations behind these crimes are paralleled in this story. I wanted to make something that audiences could enjoy: a stylish, tense, noir-inspired piece of theatre, whilst interrogating the behaviours, dynamics and relationships between the characters.”

Thanks to the excellent work of Bourke, Aspinall, Walshe and Bruce and the storyline, this production of Dial M for Murder achieves Drieberg’s aim although it’s probably useful to know about his reasoning for the time change before seeing the play to avoid any confusion.

Dial M for Murder is playing at Theatre Works until August 16.  Visit the Theatre Works website for more information and tickets.

*Photo credit: Dave McCarthy.

Jenny Burns attending the opening night of Dial M for Murder as a guest of the production company.