– By Cate Marquis –
The Repertory Theater of St. Louis gets its 2024-2025 season off to a thrilling start with “Dial M for Murder,” on stage at the Loretto Hilton Theater in Webster Groves through Oct. 13. Many of us know “Dial M for Murder” through the Alfred Hitchcock movie but, in fact, Hitchcock based his film on this play, which had debuted a couple of years earlier. The play and movie plots are similar but not quite the same, so there will be surprises. This production brings all the tension and murder mystery thrills you hope for even if you have seen the movie. For one thing, this mystery is not about who dunnit, because we know that early on, but how things it will be done, what can go wrong or does, and whether the police will even figure things out. That is the “who dunnit” being solved here, to the audience’s delight.
The play is set in 1950s London, in the posh apartment of Margot Wendice (Jenelle Chu) and her husband Tony Wendice (Jordan Coughtry), a famous champion tennis player recently retired from the pro circuit. The action opens with Margot in her living room but with someone else, an American friend named Max Halliday (Jayson Heil), waiting for Tony to join them. Max, who writes murder mysteries stories for a TV detective show, is visiting London from America and Margot has told Tony she just met the writer – but, as we quickly learn, that is not true. Actually, Margot and Max met last year when he was also in London and, what’s more, they were once lovers, until Margot broke it off shortly before Max returned to America. Margot is sure Tony doesn’t know about them and, now reconciled with Tony, she wants to preserve her marriage. But now someone is trying to blackmail her over a stolen letter from Max, and nervous Margot is hoping Max can help her get it back, before the blackmailer can share it with Tony.
When Tony does arrive, he is charming. Breezing in, he greets Max warmly and chats him up in entertaining fashion. Yet when it comes time to leave for theater, for the evening planned for all three, Tony unexpectedly begs off, citing a last-minute work assignment that is due by morning. As soon as Margot and Max leave, Tony calls up a man, Captain Lesgate (David Weynand), about buying a car and insists Lesgate come over to his apartment that very night to seal the deal. But it is a ruse, and we quickly learn that not only does Tony know about his wife’s affair, but he now has a murderous plan for revenge is on his mind. Tony creates a plan for a “perfect crime” but will all go according to plan?
Secrets, unfaithfulness, blackmail, greed, jealousy, revenge and a murderous plot all converge in “Dial M For Murder.” With the air already thick with tensions, we quickly know more about what is really going on than the characters in the play do, just in the first couple of scenes. The stage is set for nail-biting suspense as we wonder what happens next, and if the truth will be uncovered. Joining in are a couple of police officers, Inspector Hubbard (Eric Dean White) and his assistant Thompson (Ethan Stewart), as the twisty plot unfolds.
The play, by Frederick Knott, is directed by Melissa Rain Anderson, who previously directed Rep hits “The Wolves” and “The Play That Goes Wrong.” Interestingly, the whole cast of this British play all have local area connections, either hailing from St. Louis like Jenelle Chu or appearing in local productions like Eric Dean White, Jordan Coughtry, Jayson Heil and David Diaz Weynand, while Ethan Stewart is a current Webster University student.
The play is deliciously suspenseful murder mystery fun, with plenty of twists and unexpected turns, with edge-of-your-seat thrills, even if you remember the story from the movie. The director and cast do an excellent job drawing us in, as we tensely wait to see if the murderous plot will be uncovered and all the facts will out.
All the play’s elements – story, actors, direction, set, costumes and lighting – contribute to that thriller effect. No other theater in the area creates that overall effect as well as the Rep, and this production is Exhibit One for that. The clever Rep staff, specifically scenic designers Margey and Peter Spack and lighting designer Minjoo Kim, create a wonderfully atmospheric set that not only effectively recalls the 1950s time period but creates a single set that gives a tension-building claustrophobic feel. It all takes place on that one set, which gets the sense of the characters being trapped there, but a second level structure above the stage is added for a critical phone call mid-play, the “Dial M” moment. So delicious.
The actors are superb, with Jordan Coughtry particularly good as Tony Wendice, who is by turns charming and attentive to Margot and Max, and a selfish egotist planning a murder for his wife’s money. Watching him switch gears is great fun, and among the plays best moments. But as clever as Tony thinks he is, chance and luck get to play their role, and no matter how brilliant a plan, something can always go wrong – and it does. The shifting circumstances are part of what makes this thriller play such a good one, and the actors take full advantage of its twisty material.
If you are a suspense or murder mystery fan, this is a must-see. Get set for a great evening of mystery thriller delights with the Rep’s “Dial M for Murder,” a delightful way to open its 2024-2025 season.
The Repertory Theater of St. Louis’ “Dial M for Murder” is on stage at the Loretto Hilton Theater in Webster Groves through Oct. 13.
© Cate Marquis
