'Dial M for Murder' and 'The Mousetrap' bring mystery mayhem back to Milwaukee stages

It looks like the holiday theater season in Milwaukee is being brought to you by the letter M — as in murder mystery.

In a nifty doubleheader for fans of old-school whodunits and howdunits, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre is performing Jeffrey Hatcher's new adaptation of "Dial M for Murder," while Next Act Theatre is staging Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap."

While this kind of entertainment has never gone away, the 2017 movie adaptation of "Murder on the Orient Express" and the twisty 2019 film "Knives Out" seemed to bring such stories back to the forefront.

The directors of the Milwaukee Rep and Next Act productions have likeminded thoughts on why murder mysteries are popular on stage again.

"We as humans right now need to see a problem present itself, and then figure out how (to) solve it," said Mary MacDonald Kerr, director of "The Mousetrap." "Because we're in the face of so many things that are unsolvable right now."

"I think it's a rough moment for certainty right now," said Laura Braza, director of "Dial M for Murder." "There is something really nice about a well-made plot, where all of the pieces fit together and add up, and there's a bad guy, and there's a good guy."

Tapping her inner Aristotle, Braza said the way catharsis works in theater is "particularly sharp" with a thriller or horror play. "You can go through emotions that allow you to (experience) something big, but keep you safe, ultimately, to leave the theater and process that experience in your own time."

Milwaukee Rep's "Dial M for Murder" runs through Dec. 17 at the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, 108 E. Wells St. Next Act performs "The Mousetrap" Nov. 22 through Dec. 17 at 255 S. Water St.

A twist on Alfred Hitchcock

Milwaukeeans will see a "Dial M" with a substantial makeover, while "The Mousetrap" will be very much original recipe Agatha Christie.

In Frederick Knott's 1952 play "Dial M," later made into a thrilling movie by Alfred Hitchcock, a jealous husband who knows about his wife's affair plans to murder her for her fortune by bullying an acquaintance into killing her. Of course, everything goes awry; a detective chief inspector must make sense of the clues and twists.

Braza describes herself as a big Hitchcock fan; when she and her sculptor husband began dating, they watched a Hitchcock movie every week and imagined how they'd adapt it for the stage. But the movie script for "Dial M" frustrated her because Margot, the wife played by Grace Kelly, was "the least developed character."

Hatcher's adaptation transforms Mark, Margot's lover in the movie, into Maxine, adding another woman to the cast. In a meta touch, Hatcher also uses bits of commentary from Maxine, a novelist, about writing thrillers and creating suspense.

In a broader sense, Braza said, Hatcher took a play about the mind of a killer and "made it a play about the dynamics between these five people on stage."

The appeal of Agatha Christie

Christie's "Mousetrap," derived from her earlier radio play and short story, opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced temporary closure. Performances resumed in May 2021. With more than 29,000 performances in the same London theater, it's considered the longest-running play ever.

It may also be one of the best birthday presents ever. Mystery novelist Christie gave the play's rights to her grandson Mathew Prichard long before anyone knew what a hit it would be.

Kerr said audiences love both trying to figure out the mystery and the "affectionate fun" Christie pokes at British society through such archetypal characters as the retired military man and the high-strung female pensioner. "The conflict is all about how they turn on each other," Kerr said.

There is also, Kerr pointed out, real discussion of mental illness in the play. Christie drew inspiration for her play from an actual case of two children who had been abused in foster care.

Christie's play, with its twist ending, has been parodied, recontextualized and egged-up in other productions over the years. But it won't be in Kerr's. Another reason Kerr likes to do old plays is "to scrape all the barnacles off of the things that people have done to plays over a span of 50 years," she said.

She also welcomes the chance to direct a big ensemble show: "Mousetrap" has eight actors, a substantially larger cast than typical Next Act shows in recent years.

And for theater lovers who'd like a fizzy chaser to this month's mysterious libations, the Marcus Performing Arts Center will present the national touring company of "Clue" March 12-17, 2024.

If you go

Milwaukee Repertory Theater performs "Dial M for Murder" through Dec. 17 at Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, visit milwaukeerep.com or call (414) 224-9490.

Next Act Theatre performs "The Mousetrap" Nov. 22 through Dec. 17 at 255 S. Water St. For tickets, visit nextact.org or call (414) 278-0765.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 'The Mousetrap' and 'Dial M for Murder' put mystery back on stage