Murder, mayhem, mishap, marriage. Now at Playhouse Square’s Hanna Theatre, Dial M for Murder offers a “why did they do it?” mystery.
Within minutes, the play reveals who wants to kill whom and why. But can they pull it off? Twists and turns abound. Half the fun is watching the lively cast create (and destroy) elaborate plans to hide (and discover) the truth.
Perhaps the best-known version of Dial M for Murder is the classic 1954 film starring Grace Kelly and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. (Hitchcock’s movie was based on Frederick Knott’s original 1952 BBC television production.) The current Great Lakes Theater production directed by Sara Bruner is an adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher.
The story is simple: wealthy tennis pro Tony Wendice (the always-suave Nick Steen) blackmails Captain Lesgate (a bumbling Jeffrey C. Hawkins) into agreeing to murder the also wealthy Margot, Tony’s wife (a suave, cool Jodi Dominick). Maxine Hadley (Carie Kawa), Margot’s former lover, adds another twist to the plot.
It’s not until Inspector Hubbard (David Anthony Smith) appears on the scene, that we can breathe a sigh of relief: help (and a bit of intelligent thinking) has arrived to assist the hapless. All comes full circle, and truth is vindicated at last.
The set (a fancy highrise apartment jammed with all those pieces we inherited from our grandparents) deserves a cast listing itself and contributes mightily to the drama. Kudos to Jeff Herrmann (scenic design), Darrin J. Pufall (costume design), and Trad A. Burns (lighting).
Thanks also to Matthew Webb (sound) for Hitchcock-style effects which create appropriately jarring music (or noise?) at just the right spots. Credits should also go to Nicki Cathro (stage manager) and Kelsey Malone (assistant stage manager) who arranged some elaborate staging tricks.
Bottom Line: Warring egos onstage collide to create suspenseful puzzle pieces for the characters to play with. (Side note: If you’ve not seen the Hitchcock version, give it a try — it’s still awful to imagine wanting to murder Grace Kelly.)
[Written by Laura Kennelly]
