The strangest thing about thrillers is the way they turn us into amateur detectives the moment the lights go down. In Ensemble Theatre’s Dial M For Murder, I found myself leaning forward before a single word was spoken, bracing for the inevitable twist I knew was coming, just not when or how.
Frederick Knott’s Dial M for Murder premiered on BBC Television in 1952 before moving to the West End, where its intricate ‘inverted mystery’ structure quickly made it a hit. Just two years later, Alfred Hitchcock immortalised it on film, introducing Grace Kelly to the world and cementing the play as a masterclass in suspense.
Knott would go on to write only a handful of works, Wait Until Dark among them, before retiring on the proceeds of his perfectly constructed thriller. Jeffrey Hatcher’s 2014 adaptation breathed new life into the piece, most notably by transforming the lover character Max into Maxine, adding complexity and urgency to Margot’s desire – and risk.
Tony Wendice has a plan. A meticulous, cold-blooded plan. His wife Margot’s staggering inheritance is too tempting, and her secret affair with Maxine gives him all the leverage he needs. But when the ‘perfect murder’ goes spectacularly wrong, Tony must scramble to rewrite the narrative, outsmart the authorities, and keep his freedom intact. To reveal anything more would be a crime in itself.
The first thing that strikes you about Mark Kilmurry’s production is how fun it all is. Not frivolous fun. Wicked fun. The kind that creeps up the spine. It’s a delicious pressure-cooker of charm, deceit, and elegant dread. I left the theatre grinning, astonished by how such a familiar story could still deliver fresh jolts of surprise and suspense.
Director Mark Kilmurry delivers a razor-sharp staging that honours Knott’s flawless mechanics while embracing Hatcher’s modernised dynamics. In particular, the gender swapped lover reorients the emotional turmoil in glorious fashion, and Kilmurry leans into this with precision and empathy.
Anna Samson is superb as Margot Wendice, grounding the entire production with intelligence, vulnerability, and steel. The stakes of her affair with Maxine feel urgent and dangerous in ways that deepen the original play.
Madeleine Jones is a luminous Maxine Hadley. She is warm, self-assured, and quietly formidable. The scenes between the two of them are sweet and endearing.
As Tony Wendice, Garth Holcombe is charming enough to seduce and sinister enough to terrify. Each act ends with just his reaction to the events that unfold, and he plays both moments beautifully.
Kenneth Moraleda brings wit and grounded authority to Inspector Hubbard. David Soncin gives Lesgate a seedy yearning that makes his brief but pivotal stage time compelling.
Nick Fry’s set and costume design evoke 1950s Mayfair with sophisticated, sleek lines and rich textures. Matt Cox’s lighting sculpts the room into a noir dreamscape, sharpening tension with shadows and silhouettes. Madeleine Picard’s sound and composition enhance the thriller atmosphere beautifully. It is tight, eerie, and never overstated.
Ensemble Theatre’s Dial M for Murder is everything you want from a thriller: it is elegant, engrossing, and wickedly clever. If you’re looking for theatre that crackles with intelligence and suspense, this is a masterfully crafted night out, and a perfectly wound trap that snaps shut with exhilarating satisfaction.
Dial M For Murder runs at Ensemble Theatre until 11 January. 78 McDougall Street Kirribilli NSW 2061.
Tickets are available here.
Website: https://www.ensemble.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/ensembletheatre/
Photo credits: Phil Erbacher
