|
|
|
|
|
Luke Rhodri as Sean Farrell and Isabella Inchbald asSam Middleton Dial M for Mayhem Derby Theatre **** This tour presents a world premiere of Malvern’s Middle Ground Theatre’s comic pastiche of the Frederick Knott 1950’s classic Dial M For Murder. Someone thinks that it would be a good idea to debut their play in the wilds of Scotland on the village hall circuit, and so the tale unfolds. Anyone who has been in a touring theatrical company or rock band will anticipate the frictions that inevitably unfold and will not be disappointed. The original play and story are the work of Englishman Frederick Knott (1952) but the story was popularised by Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film featuring Ray Milland and Grace Kelly. This pastiche is set in 1991 by writer Margaret Hobbs who delivers a verbose, dense, script laced with punchy gags which is stronger in setting the scene in the first act, than it is in the denouement in the second, but is nonetheless impressive in its construction and execution. Numerous set pieces entertain, the vagaries of the inclement Scottish climate (rain), personality clashes, a shepherd and his television obsessed sheep dog, with a romantic caber tossing interlude amongst them. However it is the perennial reliable flatulence jokes, and Norman the errant pet rat (borrowed from Fawlty Towers?), which deliver the best laughs.
Alasdair Baker as Rupert Valentine Tinglewell The film created big shoes to fill. Luke Rhodri
plays Sean Farrell (the Ray Milland character of the original film), and
Isabella Inchbald plays Sam Middleton – Grace Kelly’s role, keeping the
chaos on the road, combining their narrative and comic responsibilities
very adeptly. Meanwhile, Joey Lockhart (George the AA Man) and Julian
Brooke provide the best of the comedy. Directed and designed by Michael Lunney the
company are reprising their recent stage success with courtroom drama
The Verdict and hoping to emulate it. Lunney does well to keep the
laughter rolling without allowing the entire production to be derailed
in the carna The entertaining show stars six talented actors - all of whom excel and give great performances amidst the M for Mayhem, with everything that could go wrong, going wrong, The evening is bullet proof from mistakes because the audience simply think them part of the show in this “play within a play” format which runs at Derby until Saturday 7th September, then continues on national tour. Gary Longden 03-09-24 |
|
|
|
