THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 19, 1995 TAG: 9510190051
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theater Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, THEATER CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
THE INGREDIENTS, in light of the recent TV court outing, seem familiar.
There's been a brutal would-be murder in which we know (or think we know) who did it but are baffled by whether or not he'll get away with it.
The audience howls at dialogue about the possibility that the police might have planted the evidence.
But this is not a case of ``Dial a Channel for O.J.'' It's a revival of the classic 1952 thriller ``Dial M for Murder.''
It's also a revival of the art of listening. The silence in Chrysler Hall on opening night was a tribute to a rare evening of logical, analytical and intelligent theater.
Here is a well-made plot, a device that has all but disappeared in the heyday of explosions at the movies and falling chandeliers in theaters.
``Dial M for Murder'' is given a level-headed reading by a gifted cast under the direction of Edward Hastings, once the executive director of the prestigious American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.
Of course, cavernous Chrysler Hall is not the right place for it. It would be better served by a smaller, more intimate theater in which the the characters could whisper their deceptions. But this thriller works better than anyone had a right to expect in this large hall. And for once, the voices sound as if they are coming from the persons on stage and not from speakers somewhere in the heavens.
The play dates back to London, even before it's 1952 Broadway opening. The 1954 Alfred Hitchcock movie version (made in 3-D) may put off ticket buyers with its spoilsport clues, but even if you've seen this play in a half dozen different versions, there is still pleasure in figuring out the third-act twists.
Nancy Allen, who starred in films like ``Carrie,'' ``Blow Out,'' ``Dressed to Kill'' and ``Robocop,'' is sweetly innocent and possessed of a gentle British accent as the woman marked for death. It is notable that part of Allen's debut film, ``The Last Detail,'' (with Jack Nicholson) was filmed just a block from the theater.
John James, from TV's ``Dynasty,'' is more portly than in his prime time days, but he brings a villainous swagger to his outing as her husband. J.G. Hertzler seems miscast as the man who could have lured her affections from her husband. Michael Halsey brings a fine edge to his role as a visiting man of mystery.
Happily, the British accents are restrained.
Roddy McDowall, the veteran of some 40 years of screen and film experience, brings a much-needed touch of humor to the proceedings. As the persistent Inspector Hubbard, he chooses, surprisingly, to do it with a Scottish burr, not the usual British accent. (A tribute, he says, to the fact that he didn't want to imitate his friend John Williams, who played the role in the movie). McDowall is fine in the part.
On opening night, there was a gaffe with the lighting that briefly left the stage in total darkness. The actors winningly ad-libbed until the lights came back. It is incidents like this that make live stage an unpredictable and enthralling happening.
Whether or not you enjoy ``Dial M for Murder'' will depend largely on how much you want to give it. If you choose to play the game in a serious and giving mood, this cast, and this production, will repay you handsomely.
In this case, the thrills are not cheap. ILLUSTRATION: Michael Halsey is a mysterious visitor and Nancy Allen is marked
for death in ``Dial M for Murder.''
THEATER REVIEW
What: ``Dial M for Murder,'' the thriller by Frederick Knott
Who: Starring Roddy McDowall, Nancy Allen, John James, J.G
Hertzler, Michael Halsey and Lawrence Hecht. Directed by Edward
Hastings
When: Tonight through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.,
Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $27 to $35
Call: 671-8100 or 622-0288.
by CNB