Is Dial M For Murder at Farmers Alley Theatre a thriller or a mystery?
It’s certainly a very appealing melodrama, as Director D. Terry Williams points out in his program note. But as the character Maxine Hadley—a crime novelist caught up in the drama unfolding on stage—describes, in a thriller (as opposed to a mystery) there is at least one murder, suspense, foreshadowing events, high stakes, and ultimately, motive is everything.
Jeffrey Hatcher’s excellent adaptation of Frederick Knott’s classic script (upon which the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock film was based) is, indeed, an enthralling thriller that keeps the central plot twists of the original but sharpens the dialogue and characters as well as heightens the stakes; and even though the audience is in on everything, how the characters behave and the events unfold is what keeps us on the edge of our seats.
The story of Dial M For Murder takes place in a posh London flat in the 1950s where a failed writer plots to kill his philandering wife for her money. Nothing, of course, goes as planned, plot twists and turns abound, and the would-be murderer must improvise, cover his tracks, and frame others—all amid an actual, though unplanned, murder, a lesbian affair, and all kinds of blackmailing.
With a top-notch cast and brilliant design, D. Terry Williams cleverly directs this surprisingly fun period piece so that the talk-centered drama full of plotting and scheming, with just a little bit of action, moves quickly and is utterly engaging from start to finish.
The five actors here are so perfectly cast it’s impossible not to get caught up in what motivates them. Jeremy Koch plays a sinister yet charming husband Tony who swoops and waltzes around preparing for the crime while also showing so much through his eyes—piercing, wide open, shifty, at turns. He’s smarmy, motivated, hurt, conniving, and despite his best efforts, shows his hand in fascinating small ways, particularly in tightly crafted scenes with Michael P. Martin, who listens and responds with an impressive subtlety as Lesgate, a victim of Tony’s blackmail, as well as with Atis Kleinbergs, who lights up the stage as Inspector Hubbard.
Kate Thomsen is a wonderfully complex Margot Wendice, the bored, bisexual housewife living a double life amid the lavender scare, who impressively builds to high-valence apex moments and creates dynamic scenes with the excellent Tina El Gamal, a force as crime novelist and lover Maxine Hadley, who complicates things for Tony in many ways, not the least of which is she’s a successful writer whereas he is not.
They play on a remarkable set in the round (or square, more accurately) by Dan Guyette that evokes the period with elegance, much as Kathryn Wagner’s costumes, complete with several entrances and exits that are pivotal to the plot. Savannah Draper’s props are also crucial to the storytelling as is the lighting design by Kristen Chesak that enhances the drama through complementary shifts and changes.
Also exceptional is the sound design from Carter John Rice and John Gromada, who also created original compositions that shape mood, build suspense, and highlight plot twists. In one crucial scene, layers of sound, from a radio interview voiceover, to Margot’s movement outside and Tony’s being upstairs and coming inside give an aural as well as visual representation of the complex machinations.
So much of the success of Dial M For Murder is about how it unfolds, starting with a very smart adaptation that effectively improves a classic with heightened stakes and stronger characters, but ultimately resting on the excellence of this particular production’s creative talent. Every detail is attended to, every movement, every word of dialogue real. The evolution of this thriller on the Kalamazoo stage is utterly thrilling.
Dial M For Murder
Farmers Alley Theatre
Feb. 6-23
https://www.farmersalleytheatre.com/
