Taking advantage of the government's 'A Night Less Ordinary' promotion that gives those under 26 access to free theatre tickets, we recently used our fourth of 5 tickets to attend Dial M For Murder at the West Yorkshire Playhouse (WYP), Leeds.
I'd not seen the original Hitchcock movie, but I have seen A Perfect Murder (1998), the modern-day remake, and I enjoyed that, so I looked forward to the show. Thankfully, it turned out that A Perfect Murder deviated from the plot of the original enough that it didn't spoil the ending or general enjoyment of the performance.
The cast of 5 were exceptional and they were well served by an apartment set that movied eeriely as the events of the play unfolded. The murder mystery is not so much a whodunnit or even a whydunnit, but looks into how the mastermind behind the botched murder will get away with his audacious lies. The resolution (which I won't spoil here) had me scratching my head at the complications, but once it all clicked (like a key in a lock...) it all made sense.
The minimal set and excellent use of music leant the whole show a marvellously creepy feel. And when the titular murder began I nearly jumped out of my seat - despite knowing what was coming, the music ramped up to put me on edge all the way through. There were audible gasps from the audience as the victim finally went down. This was a very stylish production, and one that I would gladly have paid for.
The Under 26 scheme is a great way to get youths to the theatre - and a great way for someone like me who enjoys the theatre anyway to see shows I may not otherwise have paid for. We've seen His Dark Materials (Part 1), Bedroom Farce, When We Are Married and Dial M with our free tickets so far, so just 1 more freebie left before we have to pay £5 per performance - I hope we get them in before we both turn 26 in May next year!
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