While best known from the film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1954, Dial M for Murder actually began life as a play. As the story opens, Margot Wendice (Bridget Bourke) greets her former lover, Max Halliday (Leon Walshe) and welcomes him into her home.
There is a complication, however, in that Margot is married to Tony (Tyrie Aspinall), and try as they might to move on from their affair they still have a connection. Even so, what neither of them know is that Tony knows about the affair and – fearing that divorce would leave him penniless – manipulates an old acquaintance, Captain Lesgate (Joshua Bruce), to join a plot to murder Margot so he may inherit her fortune.
Fans of Hitchcock will be familiar with a scene of two men discussing the “perfect” murder. The scene in Act 1 between Tony and Lesgate is slow, but deliberately so. No matter his current woes, getting Lesgate to agree to help is no easy feat.
Tyrie conveys all the genteel manner that you would expect of his character, yet becomes frightening when it’s put so matter-of-factly to the purpose of murder. Tyrie gave a splendid performance throughout, particularly in never forcing a sense of menace. Instead, he let the tension between the horror of what he’s saying and the restraint in how he’s saying it create a chilling presence that lingered until the end.
Joshua did well in his scenes as Lesgate, though it was in his return as Inspector Hubbard that he really shone. The character is humourless (brainwaves not withstanding) and his questions in the aftermath are brutally methodical, but the severe focus Joshua brought to the performance made for a gripping watch.
It’s established early on that Max is an American crime novelist, which Leon portrayed in excellent fashion. Juxtaposed with Margot and Tony, Max is freer in his physicality and a little more boisterous in how he talks. Even as events in the narrative unfold and Max becomes more desperate, Leon never lets his character become unhinged, presenting us with someone full of ideas and heart.
Bridget’s role as Margot may have been one the smallest comparatively in terms of minutes on stage, but emotionally she had the lion’s share. Margot is buffeted by circumstance and machinations she’s only partly aware of and her growing confusion and fear were performed wonderfully by Bridget.
Despite the vintage of Frederick Knott’s script, there’s something sadly familiar and contemporary about the depiction of a woman who is not believed, whose opinion is not worth as much as a man’s, who despite her intellect and reasonable financial security still finds herself yielding to the men in her life.
Perhaps this goes someway in explaining some of the stylistic choices Director Dean Drieberg and his design team have made with the material. Jodi Hope’s set design may lack walls, but not substance. The pieces that are there are believable but deceptively malleable in how they did not appear anachronistic in Act 2 and 3.
Really, in terms if conveying the time period in each act, this fell to Betty Auhl’s terrific work on costumes (although if you’re going to dress Tony like Zack Morris, he really should have an oversized brick of a mobile phone in his hand).
The start and end of each Act speak to both the waxing and waning fortunes of Margot and Tony, but also a comment on sexism today and the power imbalance between women and men, including such ‘harmless’ rage-blinding comments as, Give us a smile. Each of these moments and all three acts themselves were lit effectively by Tom Vulcan’s marvellous lighting design that gradually became more stark the closer we got to the truth.
By all accounts, this production of Dial M for Murder, has taken a little longer than other to come to fruition, but has certainly found an excellent home at Theatre Works. You may wish you brought a cushion for your seat, but the entertaining and thrilling qualities of the show are never in doubt.
Dial M for Murder
Theatre Works, 14 Acland Street, St Kilda
Performance: Friday 8 August 2025
Season continues to 16 August 2025
Information and Bookings: www.theatreworks.org.au
Images: Joshua Bruce, Bridget Bourke and Tyrie Aspinall – photo by Dave McCarthy | Leon Walshe and Bridget Bourke – photo by Dave McCarthy
Review: June Collins