The stage of the New Theatre in Cardiff was graced on Tuesday night with a fresh production of Dial M for Murder, popularly known as a hit West End play in its time as well for its classic Hitchcock adaptation, billed as the quintessential thriller-caper story.

This production began with a somewhat wary start – opening-night nerves, perhaps. The audience seemed to palpably feel it with much of the comic-relief falling on silence. Some concern about the acoustics of the room didn’t help, nor did a distractingly terrible wig sported by cast member Michael Salami. However, with the introduction of Tom Chambers’ Tony Wendice, the wickedly merry tone of Dial M For Murder began to flourish and become clear.

Chambers’ execution of a psychopathic compulsive liar trod carefully around the edges of scene-chewing while skilful choreography produced a devilishly entertaining performance. The heightened artificiality of it fitted the character perfectly: He quickly owned the stage with a very compelling dance/murder prep montage, complemented beautifully by the lighting and sound design. 

With the introduction of Chambers’ performance, Dial M For Murder took shape and put the audience at ease. The rest of the cast followed suit, creating a somewhat heightened but nonetheless compelling reality that carried the audience through very lengthy dialogue scenes without a dull moment. Christopher Harper brought a very impressive dual-performance as both the inspector and the murderer, leaving the audience pleasantly confused when only four people turn up to bow at the end.

This version of the story takes on an almost comedic quality, nearly verging on pantomime, in fact, thanks to a lot of likely improv-based additions to the original script. The audience seemed to pick up on this with additional gasps and cries of ‘Oh no!’ It doesn’t contribute well to the ‘thriller’ aspect of the piece but does give it a classic, British feel. It is likely best to go into this iteration of Dial M For Murder expecting a jaunty comedy more than an intense, edge-of-your-seat thriller.

The production quality, lighting and mise-en-scene were also a huge boost to the show, allowing for some genuine moments of dynamic immersion and novelty that remind an audience of the magic one can only get from the theatre.

Overall, the show makes for a solid night out, worth a trip through the early winter cold to gather around the warm, vibrant life that this production brings to the New Theatre stage.

New Theatre, Cardiff, Tues 2 Nov.

words FELIX JONES