Dial M for Mayhem
Review by Martine Silkstone
It is hard to summarise my thoughts about Dial M for Mayhem because for me, it was very much ‘a game of two halves’.
Let me explain…
In Act One, we open with a touring company of actors getting ready to perform their version of Dial M for Murder in a village hall somewhere in the Scottish Highlands.
Just arrived, the group of players are both building the scenery and trying to rehearse, all while negotiating their interpersonal relationships and continuous interruptions by colourful local characters. The stage is set - throw in one old, worn out radiator and a loose rat and you have all the ingredients of a great farce.
However…
It starts out with too much exposition, thereby becoming just a little…well…dull. While the first half of most plays is taken up with setting the scene and introducing characters, with this production it made for a slow and somewhat messy start where I kept waiting and hoping for the moment it would get going. I wanted a taste of the comedy and mayhem promised, but alas it didn’t appear.
None of which is any reflection of the cast and their performances. All six are perfectly good, then ultimately great once given the chance to shine.
No, it’s just that it needs tightening up a bit and, dare I say, a few more laughs from the beginning. I felt they could lose half an hour and it would all have happily moved a-pace, instead I went into the interval a little disappointed.
But, hang on, the best was yet to come.
I am pleased to say that a quick drink and small tub of ice-cream later, they were back with a bang!
Now with the set reversed to view the scene as ‘backstage’, we were treated to not stop laughter as their ‘play within a play’ went all kinds of wrong. Missing props, tricky keys, a vomiting stage manager (this show is not for emetophobics!) and a wealth of other hilarious incidents and accidents all made for a fun and entertaining Act Two. Hurrah!
I especially loved the slow-motion section, and the idea that there are farts so bad you can actually hear the smell - brilliant.
A second half full of all due hilarity and just the right amount of heart to balance it out.
If only they could achieve that throughout, or at least give us a hint of the comedy to come. So much potential!
Perhaps, as this is the world stage premier, it will now evolve over time to fulfil that potential, as many plays do.
In summary, for me it has a slightly disappointing start but returns after the interval for a strong finish - which is the most important thing I guess.
Dial M for Mayhem is at New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich until March 22.
FOR SHOW DETAILS AND BOOKING LINK, CLICK HERE