‘Murder’ dials mirth instead of mayhem
“Dial M for Murder” is not only a well-written play, it is a wonderfully suspenseful movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It tells the story of a man who blackmails another into murdering his wife due to an affair she had with an American. It is an intense story of jealousy, love and betrayal. Unfortunately, the Old Lyric’s performance of the show is a whimsical farce lacking in suspense and emotion.
I had a hard time deciding if the actors in the play were bored with the show or just tired after opening three other shows. Either way, half of the six-member cast lacked any kind of stage presence or warm to their performances. The other half were wonderful.
Aaron Lamb as Tony Wendice (the jealous husband) was amazing in his role. You really believed he would do anything to save his butt while ridding himself of his wife. He was a bit unpolished and awkward at times, but overall, he gave perhaps the best performance of those in the show.
The saddest thing about the show was the amount of laughter the audience felt compelled to supply to the evening. Every truly intense moment had a way of falling apart into comic hysteria rather than the needed suspense and horror this show should generate in those who see it.
The attempted murder of Mrs. Wendice (played as flighty, naïve and morose by Amber Tuttle) should have been one of the most intense moments of the show. It started out wonderfully with eerie music and the only light streaming through her bedroom door as her killer waited behind the curtains. However, it quickly dissolved into one of the funniest moments to the audience. I fail to see the humor in the attempted murder of one woman and the actual stabbing of her assailant.
At the end of every scene, the director saw fit to close the curtain. This was totally unnecessary. The entire play takes place in the Wendice flat, and only minor scene changes are made. These could have easily been accomplished in the blackouts between scenes instead of taking the time to close and reopen the curtain. All this did was give the audience additional time to lose any sense of suspense that may have been present.
The music between scenes was supposed to add to the mysteriousness and intensity of the show, but it didn’t. Selections ranged from music taken from a video game to Rachmoninoff’s “Prelude in C-sharp Minor.” The Rachmoninoff could have been a good choice, but it was played at about one-third of its actual speed, and the most driving intense part of the song was skipped over.
Overall this is the worst offering from the Lyric this summer. It’s not that it is a completely awful show, it’s just that a drama should be a drama and provide the intensity to make the audience gasp and shiver at the action. It shouldn’t find excuses to make the audience find humor in the murder and conviction of an innocent woman whose only crime was to be selfish and naïve.
Take my advice and go see “Nunsense” instead. It says it’s a comedy and it is. More to the point it is good theater, not half-baked drama.
Grade: C+