Syracuse Sun

Syracuse Stage is set to launch its 2024/25 subscription series with Jeffrey Hatcher’s new adaptation of the classic crime thriller "Dial M for Murder." Directed by Syracuse Stage artistic director Robert Hupp, the production will run from October 16 to November 3 at the Archbold Theatre in Syracuse.

The story centers on Margot Wendice, who is married to Tony. The couple lives in a modest flat in 1950s London. However, Margot's affair with American crime writer Maxine Hadley and subsequent blackmail by a mysterious stranger sets off a chain of events that leads Tony to plot deadly revenge.

“I’m thrilled to direct our season opening production of ‘Dial M for Murder,’” says Robert Hupp. “I am a huge fan of this genre, and we had so much fun creating last season’s ‘Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express’ that I couldn’t wait to kill off more characters on our stage.”

Originally written by Frederick Knott in 1952, "Dial M for Murder" was famously adapted into an Alfred Hitchcock film in 1954 and again as "A Perfect Murder" in 1998. Hatcher’s adaptation premiered at San Diego’s Old Globe in 2022 and introduces elements of light comedy and a faster pace.

“‘Dial M’ is less of a murder mystery and more of a psychological thriller,” says Hupp. “While the setting remains the same as the Knott play and the Hitchcock film, our playwright updates the storyline to raise the stakes and create even more tension. I think our audience will love the cast we’ve assembled for ‘Dial M,’ and I can’t wait to share this deliciously dangerous play with everyone in Central New York.”

The cast includes Christine Albright-Tufts as Margot Wendice, Avery Clark as Tony Wendice, Krystel Lucas as Maxine Hadley, J.D. Webster as Inspector Hubbard, and John Long as Lesgate. The design team features Stanley Meyer (sets), Lux Haac (costumes), Dawn Chiang (lighting), John Gromada (sound), Brittany Hartman (hair and wigs), D.C. Wright (fight choreography), Blake Segal (dialect coach), and Yvonne Perry (intimacy coordinator).

Frederick Knott was born in China in 1916 to missionary parents. He studied law at Cambridge University before achieving fame with "Dial 'M' for Murder." Despite being known for writing only four plays during his lifetime, Knott's works continue to be revived globally.

Performances begin at 7:30 p.m., with matinees starting at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $25 with discounts available for students and groups. They can be purchased online at SyracuseStage.org or through other specified methods.

Support for this season comes from sponsors including the Slutzker Family Foundation, Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation, Advance Media New York, and community partner Syracuse International Film Festival.