A twist raises stakes for Milwaukee Repertory Theater's suspenseful 'Dial M for Murder'

Get a nap in before going to see Milwaukee Repertory Theater's new production of "Dial M for Murder."

You will want to be wide awake to follow the twists of this suspenseful drama — particularly the ending.

"Dial M" opened Friday night at the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater for a run through Dec. 17.

Alfred Hitchcock turned Frederick Knott's 1952 play "Dial M for Murder" into a 1954 movie starring Grace Kelly and Ray Milland. Director Laura Braza and her creative team, including lighting designer Rachel Levy and sound designer/composer Andre Pluess, have worked to imbue this Milwaukee Rep production with a Hitchcockian atmosphere.

From the outset, the audience for "Dial M" knows who the bad guy is: Tony (Marcus Truschinski) plans the murder of his wealthy wife Margot (Amanda Drinkall) to inherit her fortune. He blackmails small-time nogoodnik Lesgate (Alex Weisman) into taking on the job. The beautifully planned crime goes awry, but Tony's a clever improviser, so maybe he can fool the dogged Chief Inspector Hubbard (Jonathan Wainwright).

The Rep is performing Jeffrey Hatcher's 2022 adaptation, which keeps the 1950s London setting but makes an important character change. Margot's clandestine lover, a man in the original play and film, is now Maxine (Lipica Shah), a thriller writer about to make a splashy debut. Revelation of their affair in that time period puts Margot as much on trial for her sexuality as for anything else she may have done. Hatcher also leans successfully into Maxine's occupation, with dialogue and commentary about writing crime fiction that underline the plot.

Truschinski gives us a slick villain with menace boiling under his icy self-control (if you see him with an ice pick, do stay out of arm's reach). Weisman could have walked straight out of a Hitchcock film into his role. He and Drinkall pull off a demanding fight scene (kudos to fight coordinator Christopher Elst), reminding us that, unlike movies, theater is all one-take shots. Shah's welcome presence makes this old-fashioned story more contemporary and the stakes higher.

Hatcher's many credits include writing a 1998 episode of "Columbo." Wainwright's chief inspector has something of that one-more-thing mentality; his Hubbard also has several moments of droll humor. Listen carefully to his words in the final scene. It's the key to understanding everything.

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.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Updated 'Dial M for Murder' brings suspense to the Milwaukee Rep stage