Actors’ Playhouse’s Dials Up Classic ‘Dial M for Murder’ In an Updated Version

Ben Sandomir as Tony Wendice and Mallory Newbrough as Margot Wendice in Actors’ Playhouse’s production of “Dial M for Murder,” opening in previews, then running from Friday, May 15 through Sunday, June 7, on Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. (Photo by Javier Franceschi)

Discovering a spouse’s affair might inspire thoughts of revenge — a premise at the heart of Frederick Knott’s “Dial M for Murder.” First staged in 1952 and later adapted into a film noir thriller by Alfred Hitchcock, the classic turns marital betrayal into a suspenseful tale of deception, blackmail and attempted murder.

Now reimagined by writer Jeffrey Hatcher, Actors’ Playhouse is producing a more modern adaptation of the same story. The show opens in previews Wednesday, May 13 and runs through Sunday, June 7 at the Miracle Mile theater.

Director and Actors’ Playhouse Artistic Director David Arisco is a fan of the updated adaptation by Hatcher. He puts it plainly, “I’ll just say it: the old version is old. It’s long, winded, and wordy. Jeffrey Hatcher took a look at the original text and tightened it … and then added another little twist.”

Mallory Newbrough and Daniel Llaca in “Dial M for Murder at Actors’ Playhouse” at the Miracle Theatre. (Photo by Javier Franceschi)

While the twists and turns in the murder mystery play are best kept a secret, the new additions appeal to Arisco’s love of what he calls “puzzle plays.” Which are, he explains, “Plays where you have to put the puzzle together with the right pieces in the right place and the audience has to follow.”

“Dial M for Murder” is a classic suspense – the audience is given information that some of the characters on stage do not know, yet Arisco promises a few deceptions.

“So many little things in the show are red herrings,” he says. “We’re leaving clues that are false clues just so that the audience might go down the wrong path. And that’s always fun to do.”

While the story is fundamentally the same as the original production — man discovers wife is having an affair, man then plots for his wife’s murder, man then must evade the cops — Hatcher brings the story to the 21st century in many ways. In addition to the you-have-to-see-it-for-yourself twists, one of the biggest changes in Hatcher’s adaptation is that the lover character, originally Max Hadley, is now Maxine Hadley.

Mallory Newbrough as Margot Wendice and Lindsey Corey, whose playing Maxine. The role was updated from Max Hadley in Jeffrey Hatcher’s adapation, which Actors’ Playhouse is staging. (Photo by Javier Franceschi)

Actress Lindsey Corey, who plays the role of Maxine, sees this gender change as significant and adding to the tension on stage.

“It’s such an interesting way to update the script. In a way, it makes the situation with Maxine and Margot more dangerous because at that time, it wasn’t the easiest or safest to be in a same-sex relationship, much less an affair with a married woman,” says Corey. “It heightens the stakes a lot, but it’s also a cool way to allow these characters to hide their affair.”

Corey had seen the original Knott version over a decade ago at The Maltz Jupiter Theatre in Jupiter, Florida. She adds how an affair between a lonely housewife and another man has been done so many times before that it’s often expected. This new adaptation, she says, is one that “audiences will really resonate with.”

While Knott set the story in 1920s London, Hatcher’s version puts the play in the period that it was originally written — the 1950s. The Actor’s Playhouse version will transform its stage into a London apartment, with the cast speaking in British accents. The exception is Maxine, who is American.

Arisco says that making Maxine American is another way the play is more contemporary, emphasizing a connection between the United States and England. “It shows we’re doing business across the pond.”

The character of Max isn’t the only one to undergo a twist. The play’s central schemer, Tony Wendice is no longer a retired tennis player, but instead he’s a failing writer.

The role of Tony will be played by local actor Ben Sandomir.

Ben Sandomir and Daniel Llaca in Actors’ Playhouse’s “Dial M for Murder.” (Photo by Javier Franceschi)

Wearing a smart suit jacket during rehearsal, Sandomir is very much the character of Tony. “Tony is described as ‘charming,’ so I’m trying to bring that to the performance,” he says.

“I want to make sure I bring enough volume and energy to the role,” continues Sandomir. “Tony talks a lot and gives a lot of exposition, so I wanted to make sure it was done in a way where the audience might actually remember what he says.”

Sandomir, a prolific local actor, is having his Actors’ Playhouse debut with “Dial M for Murder.” Although he’s been a working actor in South Florida for decades, Sandomir has yet to step foot (professionally) on the Actors’ Playhouse stage. That will all change this month.

“I’m glad I’m finally getting a chance to work here,” Sandomir says.

Known for his work on local musicals, like his role of Teyve in Zoetic Stage’s 2025 adaptation of “Fiddler on the Roof,” Sandomir says he doesn’t often get to work on dialogue-driven plays. “It’s a muscle I don’t get to stretch very often, but I have a great time doing it.”

Ben Sandomir as Tony Wendice and Lindsey Corey as Maxine Hadley. ((Photo by Javier Franceschi)

Sandomir says he is especially pleased to be working with a cast and creative team he has known for years.

“I feel fortunate to be working with the group that I’m working with now. It’s a bunch of people that I’ve known and loved for a long time. I’m very happy about this opportunity,” Sandomir says.

Arisco is excited to finally be working with Sandomir. He’s seen the actor perform at other venues throughout the area and has tried in the past to sign him onto a show, but the timing never worked out. Until now.

Rounding out the cast of “Dial M for Murder” are Mallory Newbrough (playing Margot Wendice), Daniel Llaca (Lesgate) and Stephen G. Anthony (Inspector Hubbard).

Stephen G. Anthony as Inspector Hubbard grills Mallory Newbrough as Margot Wendice. (Photo by Javier Franceschi)

“It’s just a great story,” says Arisco. “It’s so much fun to watch people try to plot the most horrific thing in the world, but at the same time, they’re having fun. Of course it’s an awful thing to plan a murder, but it’s fun for the audience to be following the story and trying to figure things out on their own.”

There’s blackmail, scheming, and, of course, a plot for murder. The play is more of a thriller than a whodunit. From the very start, the audience knows who did what.

“What’s interesting about this play is how the audience sees exactly what happens early in the play, and they get to go on the journey with us as we discover everything,” says Corey. “We’re putting it together while they’re sitting there, watching us, rooting for us to get it right.”

And for those who know the play or the movie well, the updated version still has some surprises in store.

WHAT: “Dial M for Murder” adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, original story by Frederick Knott

WHERE: Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables

WHEN: 8 p.m. preview Wednesday and Thursday, May 13 and 14. Opens Friday, May 15. Performances 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. Through Sunday, June 7. Weekday matinee 2 p.m., Wednesday, May 20.

COST: $40 for preview performances; $50, $70, $80, $95

INFORMATION: (305) 444-9293 or actorsplayhouse.org

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