Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Christopher Timothy, Kelly Hotten, Philip Cairns, Daniel Betts, Robert Perkins.
They say a murder cannot be perfect for somebody will always at least know about it, even if they are the ones who end up dead. However a homicide can be near perfect when presented on stage in the form of Frederick Knott’s outstanding play Dial M For Murder.
Dial M For Murder is a true classic, the stamp of Alfred Hitchcock’s film runs deep throughout Frederick Knott’s stage play and the charisma that is needed is visibly captured by the superb cast. However thankfully this cast made the play their own and the thought of the beautiful Grace Kelly playing the part in the 1950s was soon dispelled as the story of unfulfilled jealousy and greed soon took hold of the audience and took them on a journey through the act of the foulest crime.
For many the chance to see Christopher Timothy on stage would have been a huge draw. An actor who never lets down an audience, who seems to give the polished performance, whether on screen or in the theatre and for whom the chance to take part in a British thriller classic must have been the chance of a lifetime; for all of this Mr. Timothy was on terrific form. A real eye catching performance! He wasn’t alone in that accolade though as Daniel Betts as Tony Wendice, the ex-tennis player and man behind the murder, was on sparkling form as went through all the motions and emotions of trying to hatch the perfect murder.
Mr. Betts framed the idea of a man seeking revenge and overthinking every single detail to get it just right and then watching as his plan, flawless in thought, unravelling piece by piece, unknotting stitch by stitch to the point that every single lie suddenly becomes useless and pathetic. It was a master class in how to show the calmness and confidence of the villain suddenly be taken down brick by brick.
Perhaps the true hero of the hour though was the set designer who made the whole stage feel as if it was part of the conspiracy in the upcoming murder. With the wonderful veil being drawn round at intervals when the mood seemed to take a dark turn in the mind of the man behind the killing and the wonderful way that the furniture on set seemed to show the balance of justice swaying one way and then the other, it was a dream of interpretation to experience.
This particular version of Dial M For Murder by Fiery Angel is an excellent adaptation, a real pleasure in staging of a classic play and one to get the detective juices going from the very start. Arresting drama!
Ian D. Hall