Killer news! "Dial M" expands to include 7 more performances
Due to overwhelming demand,
TheatreSquared extends DIAL M FOR MURDER
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher; Written by Frederick Knott
Directed by Melissa Rain Anderson
Seven performances added—show must close September 17
“A cat-and-mouse waiting game, with enough twists and sudden hitches to keep the chills and thrills running.”
– THE NEW YORK TIMES
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS—August 28—Northwest Arkansas audiences are packing TheatreSquared to see Dial M for Murder, a twisty and timeless crime thriller with a sharp, clever update. Due to this overwhelming demand, T2 is adding seven additional shows by extending the run to September 17.
Tickets for the new dates are now on sale, ranging from $20-$64, and can be purchased by calling (479) 777-7477 or visiting theatre2.org. Dial M for Murder is performed in TheatreSquared’s West Theatre (477 W. Spring St., Fayetteville).
About the Play
Playwright Frederick Knott, who also penned the thriller Wait Until Dark, premiered Dial M to great success in London’s West End and on Broadway in 1952. The play counted Alfred Hitchcock among its many fans, and he signed on to direct it for film, creating the iconic 1954 film starring Grace Kelly and Ray Milland. Now, Jeffrey Hatcher’s (TV’s Columbo) raises the stakes even further in a brand-new stage adaptation.
Tony Wendice married his wife for her money. Now he plans to kill her for it. Is this twisty mystery of forbidden romance, blackmail, and betrayal the perfect crime—or will Scotland Yard’s best detective crack the case?
“The adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher is funny and fraught, with modern updates for a more interesting love triangle with even harsher consequences if it were revealed,” notes a review from Broadway World.
“Having worked on the original script, I was immediately drawn to the updates of this version with new pressures and clever twists,” says director Melissa Rain Anderson Anderson is a New York based director, actor and acting coach who directs in New York City and regionally, specializing in Contemporary Plays, Shakespeare and musicals.
“It's brilliantly constructed, where you think you are watching a thriller and it very quickly becomes a mystery,” Anderson muses about the play’s longevity. “It is such a clever design for a thriller to suddenly come unhinged and we watch as the pieces unravel, change course and unravel again.”
Joining Anderson on the artistic team are Kim Powers as lighting designer; Ruby Kemph as costume designer; Minjoo Kim as sound designer; Alex Worthington as set designer; and Emely Zepeda as stage manager.
The cast includes Ka-ling Cheung, Almanya Narula, Colin Sphar, Kieran Cronin, and Eric Dean White.
"With Dial M For Murder, we're taking suspense to a whole new level," says Robert Ford, Artistic Director. “As the plot unfolds, you'll find yourself caught in a web of intrigue, laughter tinged with tension, and unexpected revelations. This play will have you second- and triple-guessing yourself until the very last moment.”
The seamless fusion of Knott's compelling storytelling, Hatcher's contemporary updates, and TheatreSquared’s talented cast and crew makes for unmissable live theater.
“Dial M for Murder is like a Hitchcock heroine,” notes the review from BroadwayWorld, “stylish, mysterious, and will keep you guessing until the end.”
Tickets
Performances of Dial M for Murder are scheduled from August 16 until September 17, with 7:30pm performances Tuesday through Saturday and 2pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. The play is in the West Theatre at TheatreSquared, 477 W. Spring Street in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas. Tickets range from $20-$64. All fees are included, with no additional charges at checkout.
Subscription packages for TheatreSquared include full seven-play packages starting at $199, with four play flex packages starting at $128. Benefits for season ticket holders include savings of up to 20% on every show, free unlimited exchanges, discounted reserved parking, and same-day discounts on T2 merchandise and in The Commons Bar/Café and other T2 Restaurant & Hotel Partners.
Through T2’s Lights Up! For Access program, with lead support from the Walmart Foundation and the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, SNAP benefit recipients can purchase $1 tickets, while students and patrons under the age of 30 can purchase $15 tickets. Fully subsidized, free tickets are also available for clients of a number of local community service organizations. For more information, visit theatre2.org/lights-up.
Subscription packages and single tickets can be reserved by calling TheatreSquared at (479) 777-7477 or by visiting theatre2.org.
About TheatreSquared
TheatreSquared’s signature offering of bold new plays in an intimate setting has driven its growth to become the state’s largest theatre, offering more than 350 performances annually in an intimate setting. Its pioneering work has been recognized with the 2022 Obie Award as well as critical acclaim from The New York Times (“Best Theater of 2020” list), The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal. The playwright-led company is one of mid-America’s leading laboratories for new work, having launched more than 70 new plays. Notable collaborators have included Candrice Jones, Bryna Turner, The Kilbanes, Sarah Gancher, José Cruz Gonzales, Mary Kathryn Nagle, Qui Nguyen, Mona Mansour, Amy Evans, and many others. TheatreSquared’s home—winner of the 2021 International Architecture Award—is a cultural landmark. Offering far-reaching access and education programs and an open-all-day gathering space, the Commons Bar/Café, TheatreSquared remains rooted in its founding vision, that “theatre—done well and with passion—can transform lives and communities.”
Major funding for the TheatreSquared Season 18 is provided by the Walton Family Foundation; the Walmart Foundation; the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation; the Windgate Foundation; the Shubert Foundation; the Tyson Family Foundation; the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage; the National Endowment for the Arts; Bob and Becky Alexander; Jane Hunt; Barbara Shadden; Todd Simmons and Melissa Hall Simmons; and Simmons Foods.
Marketing support for TheatreSquared Season 18 is provided by Experience Fayetteville, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville Flyer, 3W Magazine, CitiScapes, KUAF, 5NEWS, MailCo USA, and NWA Daily.
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