Even before the play begins, you look at the stage and say "Wow." You are mesmerized by the plush sofa and chairs that dominate the set, featuring a blue color of intense luminosity. Scenic designer Parrish Bradley flanks them with lamps, curtained French doors and a rear wall with a bookcase and a setup bar. It is an inviting sight.
In "Dial M for Murder," now running at Act II Playhouse, you are inside the posh London flat of Margot and Tony Wendice. Margot has the money. That is why Tony married her. But Tony did not bargain on Margot conducting a torrid affair on the side. He now …
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Even before the play begins, you look at the stage and say "Wow." You are mesmerized by the plush sofa and chairs that dominate the set, featuring a blue color of intense luminosity. Scenic designer Parrish Bradley flanks them with lamps, curtained French doors and a rear wall with a bookcase and a setup bar. It is an inviting sight.
In "Dial M for Murder," now running at Act II Playhouse, you are inside the posh London flat of Margot and Tony Wendice. Margot has the money. That is why Tony married her. But Tony did not bargain on Margot conducting a torrid affair on the side. He now has only one question: How do I kill her without getting caught?
At first, you do not see what Tony is up to (unless you have seen the 1954 Hitchcock movie with Grace Kelly, like everyone else). Slowly, creepily, you see his purpose in inviting Captain Lesgate, an old university classmate, over to his flat for a chat. At that point, the mystery ends. "Dial M" turns into a thriller.
Playwright Jeffrey Hatcher rewrites the original script by Frederick Knott to make it feel more relevant. In this version, Margot's lover is now a woman, Maxine Hadley. He alters a few other details, but that is the significant change.
Tony's initial fury has given way to cold calculation. He has spent months planning this murder. His preparations on the day of execution are exacting. Despite Tony's villainy, you find yourself admiring his artistic tenacity.
Director Kate Brennan has experience with the thriller genre. Previously, she directed a production of "Gaslight" at Act II Playhouse, a play so engrossing that the verb "to gaslight" has become a common expression. "Dial M" is not as commanding. The byzantine detail of the Knott-Hatcher murder plot is, at times, just a bit too clever. Yet, the production holds its own, keeps you in suspense and comes to a satisfying end.
The strength of Brennan's cast makes the show memorable. You never feel they are "acting." Jamison Foreman plays the villain. Tony wants to think he is clever, but the nervous edge in his nearly constant movement suggests he is not in complete control of his emotions. Foreman is careful not to overdo the use of gloating body language when Tony thinks he has won the match.
Anna Marie Sell stars as Margot, a role that is harder to perform than it seems. Sell creates a woman who is kind and a bit wanting. You come away with the sense that Margot may be especially vulnerable and unnerved by the dastardly deeds of "Dial M" because she does not believe in evil.
Jessica Dalcanton plays Maxine. Previously, she played the victim in Act II's "Gaslight." Now she gets to play a strong-willed savior. Tall and attractive, she complements Margot in that Maxine seems happy to be living alone, is bemused by minor events, composedly angry at the big ones, and self-assured to the point of cockiness.
Mark Swift as Captain Lesgate and Paul L. Nolan as Inspector Hubbard complete the cast. After Tony finishes playing cat and mouse with him, Lesgate recovers the calm audacity of his criminal ways. At the same time, Nolan is pitch-perfect as the dogged, interrogating policeman.
"Dial M" makes use of the "to catch a thief" gambit. Tony is an inventive murderer. Maxine is a seasoned writer of murder mysteries. Inspector Nolan uses correct logic to analyze the facts, but does not appreciate the cunning of Tony's scheme. Maxine looks at the problem with a mystery writer's imagination.
A primary task of any theatrical offering is to entertain and keep you in your seat. Act II's production of "Dial M for Murder" hits the mark. The flashy costume design of Janus Stefanowicz underscores the class difference between the Wendice couple and the workaday world of Inspector Hubbard.
The thriller intends to entertain. There is little meaning to the genre, save its tradition of underscoring conventional morality. (The Hannibal Lecter-like shows are out of the mainstream.) The Act II Playhouse show entertains, and Brennan's use of the updated Hatcher script gives it a modest feminist twist.
"Dial M for Murder" runs through April 27. Tickets are available at 215-654-0200, or online at Act2.org. Act II Playhouse is located at 56 E. Butler Pike in Ambler.
