Dial M for Murder is a fresh theatrical take on the classic crime tale made famous by Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 classic film.
It's not a 'whodunnit' in the regular sense, as we're in on the murder planning from the start, with ex-ace tennis player Tony as he eyes his wealthy wife. More a 'will he get away with it' as the tale follows his sinister descent into vengeful crime after uncovering his wife’s affair with Scottish crime writer Max.
Tony Wendice is played with deliciously cold and calculating aplomb by Daniel Betts, as we discover his increasingly sociopathic turn of heart and impressively intricate planning. Cool and suave one minute, petulant and murderous the next. Quite the mastermind, but soon he has to pit his plans against the eye of a seemingly bumbling old Inspector Hubbard, played with the familiar skill of Christopher Timothy, who is far more capable than he appears, and whose disarming grilling skills could mean the difference between freedom and the hangman's noose.
The set has a touch of Sin City to its fifties London look, the period suburban lounge set inside a soaring moodily lit scarlet room, a subtle feel of 'full page' noir. The cinematic style is enhanced further by the set subtly revolving between key scenes, like an unsettling dream, complete with lingering fifties jazz and unsettling film soundscape tricks.
The performances were first rate, from scenes of shocking struggle between love torn Sheila Wendice (Kelly Hotten) and Robert Perkins’ seedy Captain Lesgate to crime scene chess games between the increasingly creepy Tony and Inspector Hubbard. Having been many a long year since I’ve seen the film the twists when they came were really engaging, as those devious plans start to unravel.
This is a gripping show, tension turned up expertly with every twist of the plot and turn of the moody set. An excellent escape from a damp April evening in Notts.
Dial M for Murder plays at Nottingham's Theatre Royal from Tuesday 22 to Saturday 26 April 2014.
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