Dial M for Mayhem – Darlington Hippodrome

Writer: Margaret May Hobbs

Director: Michael Lunney

Although the old adage “it’ll be alright on the night” is comforting, when it comes to theatrical opening nights, it is often inaccurate. This is particularly true of the troupe of actors whose attempts to stage a production of Dial M for Murder in a small village hall in the Highlands of Scotland, as illustrated in the farcical plot of this brand new piece commissioned and produced by Middle Ground Theatre Company.

Inspired by their early days and in particular their Highlands and Islands tours between 1991 and 1995, this production sees Middle Ground being clearly nostalgic for the old days whilst also being obviously very grateful that they are now successful enough to have stepped up to more luxurious venues, including Darlington Hippodrome.

Its 1991 and a small touring company of six have arrived at the village hall of the fictional Highland hamlet of Loch Shindig. Producer Sean (an extremely charismatic Luke Rhodri) is soon regretting his decision to take Frederick Knott’s classic thriller on tour around the furthest reaches of Scotland as he is quickly plagued by (among others) egotistical actors, an escaped pet rat, wayward props, torrential weather, noisy heaters, unreliable electricity, dodgy scotch pies and, perhaps worst of all, disappointing ticket sales. The rest of the company who either suffer from or contribute to the chaos include fiery leading lady Samantha (Isabella Inchbald), drama queen Julian (Joey Lockhart), ineffectual technician Andy (Theo Wooford), food-poisoned stage manager Ellen (Estrid Barton), and flatulent luvvy Rupert (Alasdair Baker).

Having adapted Barry Reed’s courtroom drama The Verdict for Middle Ground in 2015, this is Margaret May Hobbs’ first original script, inspired as it is by the company’s inauspicious early days. The script has a lot going for it and delivers more than its fair share of laugh-out-loud jokes and situations. Some of the issues that the characters encounter will be all too familiar to anyone who is or ever has been involved in provincial tours or amateur theatre: the problems with the noisy hand dryer in the disabled toilet / leading lady’s dressing room was particularly relatable to this reviewer.

However, although there is a lot to love in the script, the whole isn’t quite a sum of its parts: small attempts at pathos are thrown in and should have been either developed better and earlier, or left out completely. Also the whole set up and structure (the first act presents a rehearsal of play within the play, the second act is the performance as seen from backstage) is far too reminiscent of Michael Frayne’s Noises Off – a classic that nothing will ever be compared to entirely favourably. Additionally, the script and the direction does not commit fully to this concept, with the faux performance of Dial M for Murder grinding to a bizarre halt while the off stage shenanigans are presented, seemingly forgetting that there is supposed to be an audience viewing the onstage action at the same time. If nothing else, this play reinforces just how meticulously constructed Frayne’s 1982 farce is.

That all said, this is still an extremely entertaining night out. The cast are all working hard and well suited to their roles. Three of them double up to also play local residents who wander into the action: Baker plays a crusty old Highlands man who’s best friend is his (not entirely well behaved) dog, Barton plays the village hall key holder Jean which gives her far more scope than her other role to impress with her comic timing, and Lockhart brilliantly plays a cheeky Liverpudlian AA man who would rather be treading the boards himself than repairing Sean’s clapped out touring van. The set is simple but effective and is backed by a large projection screen that is not at all used to its full potential, but still offers nice, if almost completely static) backdrops. Michael Lunney directs with assurance, allowing all of the physical business to be well placed and visible.

Middle Ground has presented a consistently strong and varied range of productions over the years, and although Dial M for Mayhem doesn’t quite reach the heights of some of their past productions, they should be applauded for taking the risk of touring with a brand new play. For such bravery and commitment to the art, they deserve an audience. Plus there are still a lot of guaranteed laughs thrown in too!

Runs until 22nd February 2025