HEADLINE: Dial 'M' For Murder (Pasadena Playhouse; 400 seats; $ 33.50 top) #The Pasadena Playhouse (Lars Hansen, executive director) presents a drama in two acts by Frederick Knott; director, Alan Bailey; sets, Gary Wissman; lighting, Kevin Mahan; costumes, Dawna Oak; sound design, Frederick Boot. Opened, reviewed May 14, 1995; runs through June 18. Running time: 2 hrs., 10 min. Margot Wendice ... Fiona Hutchison Max Halliday ... Michael Spound Tony Wendice ... Neil Dickson Captain Lesgate ... Michael Halsey Inspector Hubbard ... S. Marc Jordan Thompson ... Darrell James Expert craftsmanship has made British playwright Frederick Knott's 1952 drawing room thriller a community theater staple throughout the English-speaking world. If the actors can get the words out, audiences generally love it. That this Pasadena Playhouse production has been elevated to a higher form of theatrical art is due to Alan Bailey's inspired staging and a first-rate ensemble, led by the superb Neil Dickson and the beautifully delicate Fiona Hutchison as his victimized wife.

BYLINE: Julio Martinez

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   #Knott (who also wrote the 1966 Broadway hit, "Wait Until Dark") is able to create complex, detailed plots that are also imbued with a breathtaking sense of urgency.

   There is macabre pleasure in following the villainous Tony Wendice as he entangles the unwilling Captain Lesgate (Michael Halsey) into the plot to murder his wife, Margot.   But the real kick comes from watching his nimble mind maneuver around the unforeseen twists provided by a deadly pair of scissors, the suspicions of Margot's ex-lover Max (Michael Spound), the slow-but-steady snooping of Police Inspector Hubbard (S. Marc Jordan) and the elusive whereabouts of the all-important apartment latchkey.

   Dickson never falters from his gracious persona while constantly sidestepping obstacles thrown in his path. Hutchison (in vivid contrast to her recent "The Guiding Light" turn as jewel thief Jenna Bradshaw) creates a memorable portrait of the sophisticated, yet emotionally fragile Margot; she believably exudes the conflicting emotions of Margot's attraction to Max and her sense of duty and respect for husband Tony.

   Spound offers handsome and staunch support as the love-driven Max,
tenaciously fighting to rescue Margot. Jordan is every inch the traditional,
understated British sleuth. In his one scene, Halsey offers an effective
portrayal of the ne'er-do-well Captain Lesgate, forced by Tony to shed layer after layer of artifice and pretense.

   Director Bailey lays everything out in immaculate order, never allowing the pace of the action to outrace the audience's perception, yet never dwelling on the moment once it is understood. He is aided immeasurably by the scenic and lighting designs of Gary Wissman and Kevin Mahan, respectively.

   Special mention should also go to sound designer Frederick Boot's work.

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   There's something blissfully nostalgic about watching an old warhorse like
Frederick Knott's "Dial 'M' For Murder" run through its familiar bag of tricks. Murder, blackmail, a missing letter, a mysterious key, a calculating killer pitted against a tenacious Scotland Yard inspector -- these are some of the stock ingredients that evoke the innocent thrills of yesteryear.

   The bliss, however, is due largely to the memory of Alfred Hitchcock's
classic 1954 film version of the play starring Grace Kelly, Ray Milland and
Robert Cummings. Where the play is mostly rapid-fire talk, brittle contrivance and character cliche, the film is richly atmospheric and the finely etched characters still linger in the memory.

   It's 1952 and we're in the posh London apartment of Tony and Margot Wendice (Neil Dickson and Fiona Hutchison). Tony, a coldblooded rascal with the instincts of a shrewd lizard, has put together a plan to murder his wealthy wife, collect the money she's willed him, and provide himself with a perfect alibi for the perfect crime.

   But his meticulous plan immediately goes awry when the man, Captain Lesgate (Michael Halsey), Tony is blackmailing to commit the crime for him bungles the job and Tony's wife winds up killing him instead. This sets in motion a series of delicious ironies as Margot is tried for the crime, convicted and sentenced to hang, thus assuring that Tony will get her money anyway.

   Since we already know whodunit and why, it only remains for the play to tell us if Tony will still get away with his scheme despite the odd detour it's taken. Not the most suspenseful journey, but entertaining all the same.

   Director Alan Bailey's cast speed matters along in the best no-nonense
British style. Dickson is particularly crisp and convincing as Tony while
Hutchison brings the passive Margot smoothly to life. Michael Spound is the American crime writer who once had a fling with Margot, and S. Marc Jordan is every amiable, dogged, hawk-eyed, sharp-witted English police inspector you ever admired rolled into one. Halsey's work as the blackmailed accomplice to the crime is also top-notch.

Copyright 1995 Chicago Tribune Company
Chicago Tribune