Deceit, Danger, and Thrills Await Audiences in Dial M For Murder

Theatre Calgary is back on the Max Bell Theatre stage and ready to bring a masterpiece from the mystery genre to our audiences with Dial M For Murder, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original by Frederick Knott.

Knott’s classic Dial M For Murder is not just a play that gives us a ‘whodunnit’. In fact, the who is revealed quite early on. Like many of today’s popular true-crime podcasts, audiences are taken on a thrilling ride of danger, deception, and plot flips that lead to a character scrambling to evade and outwit the authorities at every turn. 

Knott once described the inspiration for his work, "I was always intrigued with the idea that somebody would plan a crime, and then you see that everything doesn't turn out right...You can plan a murder in great detail and then put the plan into action, and invariably something goes wrong and then you have to improvise, and in the improvisation you trip up and make a very big mistake.” The improvisation that is exactly what keeps audiences on the edge of their seats and has made this story one of the most produced works of the genre.

Originally opening on stage to great acclaim in 1952, Dial M For Murder is perhaps best known for the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock-directed film that starred Grace Kelly and Ray Milland. There have since been multiple other movie adaptations including a 1985 Hindi-language film Aitbaar, the 1985 Tamil-language adaptation, Saavi, and a 1998 Hollywood variation on a theme adaptation titled A Perfect Murder, that starred Gwyneth Paltrow and Michael Douglas.

In 2022, playwright Jeffrey Hatcher wrote a fresh adaptation of Dial M For Murder that was given its world premiere at The Old Globe in San Diego. Directing that production was none other than Theatre Calgary’s Artistic Director, Stafford Arima. 

“Having had the privilege to direct the world premiere of this adaptation, I came to understand just how brilliantly this play distinguishes itself from other works in its genre,” says Arima. “Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation honours Frederick Knott’s taut storytelling while refining the dialogue and motivations for a 21st-century audience, giving the play fresh immediacy without sacrificing its classic thrills. This shift in narrative structure places the audience in a position of both accomplice and witness, heightening the tension as we watch characters navigate a web of deceit, betrayal, and shifting power.”

Directing this new production is Jillian Keiley, who is the former artistic director of the National Arts Centre (2012-2022), and the director of Theatre Calgary’s wildly-successful Twelfth Night in 2018 (that was produced in partnership the Old Trout Puppet Workshop). The cast features Tyrell Crews (Tony Wendice), Emily Dallas (Margot Wendice), Olivia Hutt (Maxine Hadley), Shekhar Paleja (Inspector Hubbard), Stafford Perry (Legace), and understudies Christopher Duthie and Brianna Johnston.

Dial M For Murder runs September 30 – October 26 in Werklund Centre’s Max Bell Theatre. As part of Theatre Calgary’s ‘Theatre For All’ initiative, seats start at $49 for all regular performances. They are selling quickly, and can be purchased online at theatrecalgary.com.

Header image: Cast of Dial M for Murder. Top row (l to r): Emily Dallas (Margot), Olivia Hutt (Maxine), Tyrell Crews (Tony); Bottom row (l to r) Brianna Johnston (understudy), Stafford Perry (Lesgate), Shekhar Paleja (Inspector Hubbard), Christopher Duthie (understudy).