There’s no question that the mystery genre is incredibly popular. In fact, I read the other day that Agatha Christie, for example, has been outsold only by William Shakespeare and The Bible. If readers are looking for a murder mystery on the stage Frederick Knott’s Dial M for Murder is now playing at Pioneer Theatre Company. While uneven, particularly in the first act, it should be able to scratch that sleuthing itch for fans of the genre.

The biggest strength of Dial M for Murder lies in the detective Inspector Hubbard who comes in and starts to put the pieces together for the case. In a way he kind of reminds me of Columbo in his unassuming mannerisms. The biggest problem, however, is he doesn’t arrive until Act 2. This leaves us wading through tedious exposition with clues that the inspector ascertains with ease. I honestly think you could just see Act 2 of this play and be perfectly entertained without any of the build up to the murder.

At PTC the cast is all excellent in their roles with Peter Howard standing out as Hubbard. I just wish that we got him sooner because that first act is tough to sit through. I have no idea why Knott felt we needed long scenes of the conspirator Tony talking to the hitman Lesgate. Do we really need to know about their schooling and backstory? No, we just need to know that he’s the guy Tony hires to kill his wife Margot, and here’s where he hid the key. That’s it.

That said, once Hubbard arrives and the story starts going it’s pretty entertaining. At PTC, director Michael John Garces keeps his actors moving across the stage and uses light and shadow well to create mood and atmosphere (lighting by Tom Ontiveros.) The set by James Noone is interesting with a red and chrome feel to everything. I’m not really sure what era they are trying to evoke but it almost had a Tim Burton aesthetic to it at times.

They do make the choice to gender swap the person Margot has had an affair with, turning Mark into a Maxine. Margot is played by Awesta Zarif and Maxine by Lucy Lavely. Zarif and Lavely have believable chemistry and one can understand why Hubbard is initially suspicious of everyone’s stories involving the murder.

The problem is that first act. I know I’ve said it a few times but it really drags the play down. As far as a recommendation goes, it depends on how much you love mysteries. If you are a big fan, the good ingredients, once Hubbard arrives, may be enough to be entertaining. If you are lukewarm on the genre I’d probably pass on this one.

If you get to see it let me know what you think. You can read my first review of Dial M for Murder at the Covey here. The play is going through January 25th at PTC with special ‘pay what you can’ showings on Jan 21st. You can find more information here.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks. Please take a look here.