In Conversation with Josh Sanders | Dial M for Murder

In this week's Backstage Blog, we talked all things Dial M for Murder with producer Josh Sanders!

Tony Wendice believes he has concocted the perfect murder. After discovering her infidelity, he sets in motion his plan to murder his wife Margot and walk away with her millions. After all, who would suspect her own husband of being the perpetrator? But when he dials the Mayfair exchange to set his plan in motion, the right number leads to the wrong answer. Crackling with suspense, unexpected twists and lethal amounts of intrigue, this show will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Q: Hitchcock on stage! Need any more be said? What will excite audiences most when they come to Dial M for Murder?

A: I feel like Dial M for Murder is inherently exciting in and of itself! The text definitely fits the bill for the ‘thriller’ genre and the narrative itself will have audiences on the edge of their seat. It’s incredible how effectively Knott has managed to build tension in a play that takes place entirely in a single room.

Narratively, this show also messes with the convention of the murder mystery genre. Rather than a murder taking place and the audience slowly piecing together who dunnit and how, this show places the culprit and the plan right upfront, and the rest of the story is about the undoing of the ‘perfect murder’.  This almost Brechtian technique allows the audience to be more critical of the topics the show presents.

But beyond the piece itself, I think audiences are also going to get a real thrill out of the design of this show. This show is heightened in every sense, from the performance styles to the costumes and the set. The use of saturated colours, bold costume design and imposing set elements all work to tell this dramatic story.

Q: When reimagining a story that's known and loved by many, how do you go about honouring what's special about the original while also giving it a new life for a 2025 audience?

A: When honouring a piece of this magnitude and also pulling from a canon as famous as Alfred Hitchock’s, it’s important to maintain an essence of the reference material.

Perhaps the best example of how this production does this is through the ingenious use of sound.  In all of Hitchcock’s classic films, music plays a central role in telling this story. His extended partnership with composer Bernard Herman produced some of the most evocative and instantly recognisable soundtracks in the history of film. In order to pay homage to the original film, we have decided to make the soundtrack an integral part of our production. But unlike the original film, our soundtrack is centred around an 80s synthesized score which heightens the suspense and intensity for the audience. Our intention is that this music will have a similar effect on our audience that the original soundtrack would have had on Hitchcock’s audience.

We have also managed to work in a couple of Easter Eggs for die-hard (pun intended) Hitchcock fans. For example the trademark red dress that was a staple piece of costume for Hitchcock heroines is front and centre in our production (and our poster!).

Q: How have rehearsals been going? No murders to report within the cast?

A: We actually don’t commence rehearsals for another 2 weeks! But we will be checking for concealed weapons at the door!

Q: Other than the twists and turns - what will surprise people about this work?

A: It’s the old adage – why this work? Why now?? Theatre needs to be relevant and have something to say. People might think – what could a Hollywood film from 70 years ago possibly have to say that is relevant to today? I think audience will be sadly surprised by how the themes explored in this piece are as relevant today as they were when they were written.

Our genius director Dean has come up with a unique concept for this production to illustrate this timelessness and to really bring the themes forward to modern day. Although the script and timeline of the narrative remain unchanged, as the play progresses through its three acts, the era in which it is set advances from the 1950s to modern day. Act one is set firmly in 1950, act two advances to the 1980s and act three brings it into the modern world. This is signalled through the changes in the incredible set and costume designs, subtle directorial choices and the darkening in style of the expert performances of our cast.

Q: What has been the most memorable moment in your process?

A: I think the most memorable part so far has been our audition process. It was the first time that our entire creative team had physically gotten together in a room since 2020 (this show was originally going to open in March of 2020, but became a lockdown casualty). To have the same creative team re-assembled five years later to finally deliver this passion project was an incredible feeling. And this was only amplified by the incredible talent that we were lucky enough to have audition for us on the day.

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Dial M for Murder plays at Theatre Works August 7-16.

Click here to get your tickets!