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| Awesta Zarif, Peter Howard & Lucy Lavely photo by Tim Fuller |
highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)
Click here for more information on this production that runs through November 3
"Jeffrey Hatcher's adaptation of Dial M for Murder adds some contemporary changes to Frederick Knott's classic 1952 thriller. Hatcher has premiered two of his plays at Arizona Theatre Company, so it's fitting that one of his most recent plays is making its Arizona premiere at the company. With a talented cast and impressive creative aspects, it's a taut and fun production with many moments of suspense, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. However, the direction and plotting, which features several unnecessary prolonged pauses, occasionally threatens to derail the pacing." - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)
"Arizona Theatre Company has brought tremendous resources to its season opening production of Frederick Knott’s 1952 stage and television thriller “Dial M for Murder.” An impressive acting ensemble essay the five roles with distinction. An elaborate set creates an appropriate London living room where the action occurs and wonderful period costumes further enhance the lush visual look. But Jeffrey Hatcher’s new adaptation which attempts to bring the play to a contemporary sensibility sputter and fails to disguise the play’s creaky, old fashioned, senseless, and needlessly convoluted plot. The inane story and easily predictable characters are so far from any reality that updating the piece can’t make it relevant. Hatcher keeps the play as a period piece but tries, without success, to bring meaning to the piece for current audiences." -Chris Curcio, Curtain Up Phoenix (click here to read the complete review)
"Hatcher's new take on DIAL M FOR MURDER brings fresh energy to Frederick Knott’s classic thriller, giving it a bit of a facelift for modern audiences. The play thrives on a tightrope walk between suspense and dark humor, and when done right, it’s pretty gripping. To that end, this creative collaboration has evoked a mood and atmosphere that heightens the tensions of the play…most of the time. However, if you’re a fan of fast-paced and tightly wound productions, you might find that this one slows down now and then and loses a bit of its edge when, in a campy homage to early filmdom, pregnant and reflective pauses last just a few seconds too long....The modern touches, solid performances by the cast, and smart dialogue bring it into the present while still keeping that classic vibe. It’s a great mix of old and new, and it’s clear why this play has staying power." - Herbert Paine, Broadway World (click here to read the complete review)
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