At the very beginning of Vertigo Theatre’s Dial M for Murder, Max Halliday (Braden Griffiths) outlines that there are five reasons to murder someone: fear, jealousy, money, protecting someone you love and revenge. Max is a TV writer for a mystery series and is explaining how he has to find an original way to murder someone each week. Margot Wendice (Vanessa Holmes) is intrigued by this, serving max drinks in her fancy dress.
It comes out that Max and Margot had an affair that they ended a year ago and that Margot hasn’t told her husband Tony (Curt McKinstry). We then meet Tony, who tells a lie about working late and Margot and Max go out for the night. We then learn that Tony knows about Margot’s affair and plans to murder her.
Tony then calls up Captain Lesgate (Kevin Corey) and blackmails him in one of the smoothest scenes of the play. Director Kelly Reay brings out the sliminess out of Tony’s character and McKinstry is an expert at playing earnest while he’s really plotting murder. The entire cast puts forward strong performances on Terry Gunvordahl’s – oddly raised in places – set.
Michael Gesy’s original composition and design sets the mood of the play combined with Gunvordahl’s slit lighting in the background.
Dial M for Murder is a very polished production by Vertigo Theatre. You know that the perfect murder is hard to pull off and you wonder if Tony will actually get away with it.
Vertigo Theatre’s Dial M for Murder runs until May 31st. More information is available online.
Photo Credit: Benjamin Laird Photography