Looking for a theatre production that’s offering something a little bit different?
If so, then be sure to make a beeline for Malvern Theatres this week, where long-established local ensemble Middle Ground Theatre Company are premiering their latest show, Dial M For Mayhem.
Middle Ground have a reputation for producing high-quality theatrical adaptations of all manner of source material, from Dickens’ 1866 short story The Signalman and MR James’ 1904-published Oh Whistle And I’ll Come To You My Lad, to decidedly more modern fare, such as Terrence McNally’s 1987 play Frankie And Johnny In The Clair de Lune, which saw Hollywood star Kelly McGillis make her UK theatre debut. They’ve even presented a stage adaptation of the 1968 television movie Columbo: Prescription Murder, with cult-TV star Dirk Benedict (Face in The A Team) taking the role of the detective in the shabby raincoat.
Past productions also include a version of Frederick Knott’s classic 1950s thriller Dial M For Murder - and it’s this particular play which sits at the heart of this latest theatrical offering.
Here’s the scenario... The action unfolds in 1991 and focuses on a group of travelling actors from south of the Scottish border who take on the not inconsiderable challenge of conquering the Highlands and Islands village-hall circuit. Their intention: to present a production of, yep, you guessed it, Dial M For Murder.
The show stars six talented actors - Alasdair Baker, Isabella Inchbald, Eliza Langland, Joey Lockhart, Luke Rhodri and Theo Woolford - all of whom give great performances. There’s certainly plenty to amuse here, from the missing props, to the involvement of a twinkle-eyed AA man and a missing child’s pet black rat. And then there are the thespians themselves, doing their darnedest to put on a show despite their petty squabbling, the result of which is plenty of backstage chaos that calls to mind Michael Frayn’s classic comedy, Noises Off.
The first act last night was slick, farcical and fast-paced, but the plot then seemed to lose its way in the second act. Amidst all the mayhem of everything that could go wrong actually going wrong, there may even have been some genuine opening-night technical issues occurring as well. If so, then it’s very much to the actors’ credit that the show went on regardless.
Dial M For Mayhem has great potential and will - in time, I’m sure - enhance the already-glowing reputation of Middle Ground Theatre Company. Featuring plenty of laugh-out-loud humour and some surprisingly poignant moments, there’s a lot to recommend this brand-new production.

3 stars

Reviewed by Sue Hull on Tuesday 28 August at Malvern Theatres, where it runs until this Saturday (31 August)