BWW Reviews: Uneven DIAL M FOR MURDER Fails to Thrill at OSTC

To start a review with "it was a dark and stormy night" would probably be as unoriginal as that infamous line itself. On the other hand, in this case, it fits. It was in fact a dark, windswept, rain soaked, stormy night in Warwick when a sizable crowd attended the performance of Ocean State Theatre Company's (OSTC) production of Dial M for Murder. The atmosphere outside the theater was ripe for mystery, suspense and intrigue. Unfortunately, the uneven and mostly average production didn't really live up to the mood set by Mother Nature.

Some would argue that the play, originally written for the stage by Frederick Knott and then adapted into a movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is a classic of its genre. Knott's script spins a wonderful web of deceit and cunning as it tells the tale of Tony Wendice, a man plotting to murder his wife, whom he married only for her money. While he believes he has planned everything perfectly, down to the last detail, an unforeseen event sends his plan spiraling out of control. The hired killer is the one who ends up dead and Wendice must find a way out before the police and the truth close in on him.

While Director Amiee Turner, OSTC's Producing Artistic Director, is usually skilled at setting the scene and the mood of a production, the whole tone of this one feels off. Rather, it feels a little all over the place. There are moments that are played absolutely straight. Others are played for humor. Still others seem designed more for a self-referential, self-aware "wink-wink-nudge-nudge." There are even moments that feel a bit like parody or satire of the genre. This isn't necessarily all Turner's fault but it might have served the production better to really, deeply commit to one tone and go for it, the whole way through.

Another area where Turner missteps, surprisingly, is in the casting. Her ensembles are often near-perfect and her actors often have fantastic chemistry together. In this case, the chemistry is especially lacking, but more on that in a moment. As an ensemble, the cast are all talented and do a fine job, but they don't really seem to be working together, not perfectly. They don't always seem to be really listening and responding truthfully to each other. It at times feels disconnected or disjointed.

Starting with the weakest spot, in terms of chemistry and performance, are Bill Mootos as Max Halliday and Aimee Doherty as Margot Wendice. Margot is the wife who is the target of her husband's assassination attempt. The problem is that we never really get to know or care about her. That's partly the fault of the script and partly the fault of the actress. Doherty's performance is pretty shallow and lifeless. She doesn't really connect with the audience in a meaningful way, never really getting them to sympathize with her, fear for her, or root for her. It's a perfectly fine performance, it's just kind of dull and uninteresting.

The character of Max Halliday is supposed to be the man Margot had an affair with. The production's real weak spot is that Doherty and Bill Mootos as Max have absolultely no chemistry on stage. They have no spark and it's impossible to believe these two ever had anything close to a love affair. Mootos does a serviceable job with the role but, like Doherty, lacks some energy and charisma. Towards the play's end, he does liven up and show some life as Max tries to save the life of the woman he loves. It just never really rings true.

As Inspector Hubbard, Brandon Whitehead is wonderful but seems out of place in this production. He's sort of Columbo meets Hercule Poirot as played by Brendan Gleeson. It's actually even cooler than that. But, he seems to belong in an entirely different play, perhaps one where he's the central character. The moments of humor he provides don't really hit the mark here and it might have worked better to have the role played completely straight and deadly serious. Then again, it's unclear which tone was supposed to be the dominant one, the humor or the seriousness.

In the role of the hired thug, Captain Lesgate, Rudy Sanda is perfectly smarmy and creepy. A man with a highly checkered past and dubious morality, Lesgate is the perfect man for the job, or so we think, and Sanda seems to be relishing the role, having fun with it and giving it believable life. His scene with Wendice, as they plot the crime, is among the highlights of the production.

As for Wendice, the production really belongs to the actor behind that role, Drew Anthony Allen. Putting the play on his shoulders, Allen provides a consistently excellent and gripping performance. His Wendice is perfectly charming and wonderfully sinister. Some audience members may even find themselves rooting for him, just a little, or at least wondering what deeply motivates his murderous plot. That Allen can and does elevate the role above cliché is a credit to his talent as an actor.

While that performance and some individual moments are outstanding, the production as a whole falters. It's epitomized by the most important scene, when the murder attempt goes horribly awry. In Ocean State's production, the whole scene is played with a shocking lack of tension or violence. It's almost played in slow motion, or feels that way. Perhaps a fight choregrapher would have helped, if one wasn't consulted. What should be a frightening, violent, shocking moment ends up being dull and lifeless. The stakes never really feel high, nor does it feel like there's ever any real life or death to the struggle. Which, really, is true of the entire play, which feels more like it has dialed "M" for "mediocre."

Dial M for Murder runs at Ocean State Theatre Company through November 16. Performances are Wednesday (except November 5), Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm, with matinees on Thursdays (except November 13), Saturdays (except November 1) and Sundays at 2:00pm. OSTC is located at 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI. Tickets are $34 - $49 and are on sale at the box office Monday through Friday 12 noon to 6:00pm, Saturdays from 12 noon to 4:00pm, and from 12 noon to curtain time on performance days. Tickets are also available at www.oceanstatetheatre.org and by telephone at 401-921-6800.

Pictured: Aimee Doherty and Drew Anthony Allen. Photo by Mark Turek.

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