Dial M for Mayhem at Northampton’s Royal and Derngate Theatre is writer Margaret May Hobbs’ hilarious take on the classic Dial M for Murder by Frederic Knott and is a play which certainly lives up to its name.
With thanks to Alfred Hitchcock’s famous 1954 film, many are familiar with the story of Dial M for Murder making the opening night at Loch Shindig’s Village Hall even more comical.
Over the course of the play, we witness a small-scale touring theatre company attempt their Dial M for Murder production, inspired by the fond memories of Middle Ground Theatre Company’s past memories.
Immediately, we are introduced to ‘method actor’, Julian Brooke whose dramatic efforts at portraying a killer hired to kill an unfaithful wife Sam Middleton (Isabella Inchbald) can never seem to go quite right…
Act one is the perfect combination of ingredients needed for a play to go wrong. In this case Rupert’s (Alasdair Baker) unpleasant farts, many unnecessary injuries and a few fires added into the mix has every single member of the audience laughing.
The second act opens later on, just as opening night is about to begin, seen from behind the erected touring set with some bits cut away allowing the audience to see the on-stage action. Mayhem is without a doubt the best word to use to describe what takes place during this half of the performance as it seems that everything that could go wrong both on and off stage actually happens.
From broken doors, to missing murder weapons and a rogue rat on the loose and the ever-increasing stress of company manager Sean Farrell ( Luke Rhodri) there is never a moment in which the audience isn’t guaranteed to be simultaneously laughing and cringing.
There are however two honourable mentions that are well-deserved. The first is to the sweet love story between Sam Middleton and Sean Farrell tangled up in the story of the play and restoring some hope for the future of their small-scale theatre company.
The second is to Jean Murray (Estrid Barton), an endearing local resident whose best intentions at the makeshift box office ultimately add to the questionable success of opening night and overall comedy of both productions. Very silly and highly recommended.
