Dial M for Murder

On entering the auditorium we were greeted by atmospheric music, preparing us for the suspense of a murder plan. As always the box set had close attention to detail and could be the flat in Maida Vale in the 1950’s. Sheila’s costumes placed the piece in the 50’s too, the men being timeless at this period in suits. Her costumes spoke of a woman with taste and sophistication and complimented her character with style. The rapport between Sheila and Max was strong and the discomfort of the love triangle with the entrance of Tony was well handled setting the plot clearly early in Act 1. Tony showed good stage craft in his facial expressions and understanding of dramatic silence, he had the skill of expressing his innermost thoughts with just a look or delay in movement that kept us intently engaged. As the piece moved into Act 2 the pace seemed to slow down and unfortunately for some unknown reason the audience began to laugh at a heightened moment of intensity, it was hard to tell if this was due to discomfort or loss of concentration. Dear Sheila was excellent in keeping totally focussed throughout this odd behaviour, totally engaged in her mental torment which was admirable, the fourth wall remained totally in place for all on stage and we soon returned to the intensity of earlier. Act 3, set months later showed a shabby unkempt feel to the surroundings and the twist and turns of the previous act began to unravel for Tony, soon he was the one on the run and we final saw him get his comeuppance. Again the tension built but with a slower pace but the small company remained focussed and worked closely as a team. This is a very demanding piece (especially for Tony) and in three acts runs for near on 4 hours with two intervals but if played correctly can be atmospheric and nail biting and Taunton Thespian captured the essence very well.

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