Festival Theatre, Malvern – until 31st August 2024.
Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau
4****
Dial M For Mayhem! is the story of a troupe of traveling actors putting on the classic “Dial M For Murder” around the country, coping with the stressors of interpersonal relationships and the rigors of the road (especially when far off the beaten track). We join them as they hit the wilds of Scotland…
Luke Rhodri played Sean Farrell (the Ray Milland character of the original film) as well as being head of the company. He and Isabella Inchbald (playing Sam Middleton – taking on Grace Kelly’s role) are really the anchors that stabilize the ship against the storms (both physical and emotional). Both gave a weighty realism that the play needed to keep the farcical elements balanced. Both actors had their moments when they lost the plot superbly and to great effect though – and they did it so well.
Alasdair Baker (Rupert Valentine Tinglewell and Alasdair McGilivray) was especially joyous to watch as the veteran of the stage – and he totally shone! He brought a poignancy to his part too that was extremely touching – most keenly in his scene with Eliza Langland (Jean Murray/Ellen Harrison and Morag McCullough) but I won’t explain why to avoid spoilers. Meanwhile, Joey Lockhart (George AA Man and Julian Brooke) and Theo Woolford (Andy Jenkins) were the rich comedy seam that ran through the piece – especially George AA Man who was wonderful and deserves a spin off all his own! I could have watched him all night long.
The actors delivered a wordy script with admirable brio. Lines came thick and fast and there really wasn’t a let up in the pace. The premise and the plot were well balanced and logical so a big pat on the back to writer Margaret May Hobbs for that. There is much to enjoy here for anyone who’s been in a touring rep company and would (I’m sure) recognize immediately the situations that the characters find themselves in.
Although there were lots of very humorous one liners, the consistently funniest thing was the flatulence of one of the characters. Funny as it was, the script was just a bit too gentle I felt. Not unfunny, but just needing a touch more in my humble opinion. I also felt that the script needed a twist (or two). It rather peters out at the end, which is a shame as there is much to enjoy along the way. For me, there were several obvious opportunities for the play to take an unexpected turn, which were either missed or deliberately avoided.
So, although this is an enjoyable play it is slightly frustrating as it just fell a touch short of amazing. Having said that, the talented cast were a joy to watch and I came out smiling, having had a fun evening. This is the premiere run of this play and I’m confident that it will mature into an even better piece of comedy theatre in future runs. Certainly worth catching in its initial form though, so still recommended viewing.