If what tickles your fancy is a tightly written, intriguing puzzle of a play, look no further than Red Bank’s Two River Theater. There you’ll find a new adaptation of the venerable 1950s mystery Dial M for Murder, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from Frederick Knott’s original play. As directed by Jenn Thompson, it is smart, stylish, and suspenseful, a treat for audiences who like having their spines tingled.
Even if you’ve seen the original version of Dial M, or the Hitchcock movie version of it, this new adaptation manages to keep the basics of the plot while bringing its sensibilities into the 21st Century.
The plot revolves around the Wendices, a married couple in London. Tony (Tony Roach) is a businessman; his wife Margot (Olivia Gilliatt) is a wealthy socialite, supporting the arts and charities. Margot’s best friend is Maxine Hadley (Jasmin Walker), a New York-based mystery novelist back in London to confer with her publisher — and with whom Margot had a passionate affair. Tony has found out about the affair and plans to inherit Margot’s fortune before she can either change her will or divorce him. To that end, Tony tracks down a down-on-his-luck former classmate, Lesgate (Robert Eli), and hires him to kill Margot.
Director Thompson smartly puts her cast through its paces. Roach’s Tony Wendice is all charm, a master improviser who can handle any snags in his plans with only the slightest hint of hesitation. Gilliatt as Margot creates a believable woman facing death, manipulated by her husband and growing more unbalanced as no one believes her story. Maxine, as played by Walker, is both hard-headed when it comes to Tony yet still soft-hearted about Margot. Eli’s portrayal of Lesgate, a minor character in the play, creates a vivid picture of a weak-willed man born into privilege who has not made a success of life. Finally, there is Triney Sandoval as Inspector Hubbard, a man who hides his sharp detective skills under a misleadingly prosaic facade. Sandoval’s performance adds much-needed humor into the production.
Scenic designer Wilson Chin has created the comfy without being overly opulent living room of the Wendices flat. (One audience member next to me mentioned to her husband that she’d like a room like that in their own home.)
Jess Goldstein’s costumes, especially for Margot and Maxine, are sleek creations combining ’50s fashion with a modern sensibility of style and color. Special credit goes to dialect coach Amy Stoller and fight/intimacy coordinator Gerry Rodriguez.
I can’t say more about Dial M for Murder without giving away too much of the plot. Suffice it to say that, having seen both the original play and the movie, this new adaptation is a puzzle-lover’s delight. I cannot more strongly urge you to make the trip to Red Bank to see how easy it is to kill someone — all you need to do is Dial M for Murder!
Dial M for Murder is presented at the Rechnitz Theatre of Two River Theater in Red Bank through Mar. 9, 2025. For more information or to get tickets, go to tworivertheater.org or call 732-345-1400.