DIAL M FOR MURDER – Barnstable Comedy Club in Barnstable, Massachusetts.
Jeffrey Hatcher’s 2021 adaptation of Dial M for Murder, the classic British thriller by Frederick Knott. Set in London in the 1950’s, the play’s intricate, fast-moving plot involves pathological deceit, marital infidelity, blackmail and murder. The subtle changes made in Hatcher’s adaptation have been uniformly praised for ratcheting up the play’s tension and resonance for contemporary audiences.
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher
From the original by Frederick Knott
Directed by James F. Ring.
Audition Information:
Open auditions will take place on Dec. 6, 2024 (Friday) from 6-8 PM, and on Dec 7th and 8th from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Barnstable Comedy Club’s theater.
Casting available for 2 Women and 3 Men.
Earlier auditions may be arranged via email to jring.ring@gmail.com.
Actors will be asked to read from the script. Perusal scripts have been placed at the Hyannis Public Library and Sturgis Library.
Rehearsals will take place in January and February 2025.
Production Dates: Opening Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 PM and running for 3 weekends through March 23, 2025
on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM; Sunday at 2:30 PM
More auditions in Massachusetts.
Roles:
- MARGOT WENDICE: Female. 30’s/40’s. English accent. Margot’s a wealthy socialite married to a man beneath her station (Tony). As the play opens she’s recommitted herself to her marriage after bringing her torrid affair with one of Tony’s colleagues (Maxine) to an end. She’s confident Maxine won’t disclose their past intimacies because, in 1950’s London, this would expose both of them to criminal prosecution.
- MAXINE HADLEY: Female. 30’s/40’s. American accent. Maxine’s a successful crime novelist who works with Tony and is one of his former flames. Although she longs to rekindle her prior relationship with Margot she attempts to abide by Margot’s new boundaries and to confine herself to the role of a platonic friend.
- TONY WENDICE: Male. 30’s/40’s. English accent. Sophisticated, articulate and cunning, Tony’s a failed novelist now reduced to toiling away as a publicity agent for Maxine’s British publisher. He’s financially dependent upon Margot, who has access to a private family fortune that Tony covets. Unbeknownst to Margot and Maxine, Tony’s fully aware of their illicit dalliances because, while rifling through one of Margot’s handbags, he found (and pocketed) a lurid letter from Maxine seeking to reignite Margot’s passions by recalling, in salacious detail, some of their past encounters.
- LESGATE: Male. 30’s/40’s. English accent. A professional cad with a long history of victimizing wealthy women. He’s gone by several names in an effort to avoid drawing attention from law enforcement. But Tony’s been surreptitiously surveilling him for years and – via a clever use of Maxine’s licentious letter to Margot and a bit of Margot’s cash – Tony’s able to manipulate Lesgate into doing his bidding.
- INSPECTOR HUBBARD: Male. 40’s to 70’s. English accent. When events take an unexpected turn, the Inspector enters and oversees the ensuing inquiry. He’s highly intelligent and observant but tends to reflexively doubt and assume the worst about people he views as sexual deviants. Yet he’s committed to uncovering the truth.
Open auditions will take place on Dec. 6, 2024 (Friday) from 6-8 PM, and on Dec 7th and 8th from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Club’s theater.
Barnstable Comedy Club is located at: 3171 Main St, Barnstable, MA 02630
