Dial M for Murder at Darlington Hippodrome 19.02.25
Invited| Review by Stephen Stokoe
It is always a delight to attend shows at Darlington Hippodrome. The staff are very welcoming indeed and it is a joy to see the camaraderie between them as they busy themselves welcoming patrons to their modern fitted but historic building in the heart of Darlington. This evening was no exception, even if I myself was somewhat flustered due to a journey that involved heavier than usual traffic and a broken down bus to add to the farce of getting there this evening.
That comedy of errors was as naught compared with the calamities that befall the acting troupe hoping to put on a serious stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s famous 1954 film ‘Dial M for Murder’ in a quaint village hall on a loch somewhere off the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The cast have arrived and are setting up for the first performance and the heroine (Isabella Inchbald) and her would-be assassin (Joey Lockhart) are practising their murder scene. This is not without interruption as producer/ director and company manager, Sean (Luke Rhodri) is being shown around by village hall key holder, Jean (Estrid Barton) who is pointing out all the village hall’s foibles, animate and inanimate. Then the rest of the cast and crew start to drift in.
As we meet each of the characters, it is very clear that there is some history between them. They certainly do not all see eye to eye, and love and hate can become very heated for very different reasons. And so it does with some laugh out loud moments throughout the performance.
The script (Margaret May Hobbs) is a masterclass for introducing characters economically and lining up the almost inevitable disaster that the opening night proves to be. Some are very obvious and one can almost tick them off one by one as they return to haunt the cast in act two but there is one visual gag that is very cleverly worked into the performance of the play in the second half that I almost choked on what remained of my interval refreshment drink when it made its gloriously garish and ridiculously large appearance.
This hilarious and, in places, moving play, sports a cast of seven, we have met the two main actors between whom there is no love lost – neither do they share any admiration for each other’s acting prowess. Luke Rhodri manages, on the whole, to hold his disparate troupe together with good grace and the odd occasional profanity. Long in the tooth and seasoned pro Rupert Valentine Tinglewell (Alasdair Baker) is a delightful old school luvvie with the clipped ‘What Ho, chaps’ British accent one so admires from days gone by. The tech team for the company is led by Stage Manager, Andrew Jenkins (Theo Woolford) and LX and SX manager Ellen Harrison (Estrid Barton) who would be quite the formidable team if the former had a clue what what going on half the time and the latter was not struck down by a rather unfortunately attack of sickness and diarrhoea just prior to the performance.
Throw into the mix a very eccentric local who totters in off the streets (also played by Alasdair Baker) and AA man, George (Joey Lockhart (again)) who has theatrical aspirations of his own, if the truth be known, but is actually there to make sure the company’s van is vaguely roadworthy before they head off to Inverness for their next performance. Let the madness and mayhem commence.
Dial M for Mayhem is, for all intents and purposes, a farce but there is also a great deal of love and memories gone in to the research and the writing of the piece. As an actor who has performed such a touring production there were times when I winced at the predicaments the characters got themselves into but I also laughed until tears were falling down my face at others. There will inevitably be comparisons drawn between this production and others that have gone before it such as The Play That Goes Wrong and Noises Off but that may do this show a disservice because there is a deeper level to the writing than just the comedic elements and, for me, it did tug on my heart strings especially towards the end as the players were considering their contributions to the somewhat chaotic performance. There is a moving dedication in the programme to actors involved in Middle Ground’s Highlands and Islands Tours 1991 (when the play is set) – 1995) including those who are now treading more heavenly boards – further testament to the realness of the piece.
Farce relies heavily on exquisite timing and director Michael Lunney can take his own individual bow for the slick production I saw this evening. The set is surprisingly intricate with a good many props for the actors and crew to manoeuvre and handle. This play skips along at a fair old rate and it would probably be a good idea to see it more than once to catch all of the clever asides and nuances, props and visual gags, you may not catch the first time.
Dial M for Mayhem is a new play but borne very much out of history and tradition, personal (sometimes bitter) experience and an extraordinary love of touring theatre. I would recommend it whole-heartedly. Very well done to the entire cast and a special thanks from me to you all for staying back for a Q+A session afterwards. After such a performance, I am surprised any of you could breathe, let alone answer questions. Bravo and the very best of British for the rest of the tour.