Dial M for Murder Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher From the Original by Frederick Knott
Directed By:
John Marsaglia


Originally commissioned and produced at The Old Globe Barry Edelstein, Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Timothy J. Shields, Managing Director

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Brief History of Dial M for Murder

Original Play and Film

Play Premiere:
Written by Frederick Knott, Dial M for Murder premiered in 1952 on the West End before moving to Broadway.
Film Adaptation:
Alfred Hitchcock adapted the play into a film in 1954, which starred Grace Kelly and Ray Milland. This film solidified the play's status as a classic thriller.

Jeffrey Hatcher's Adaptation

Key Changes:

Gender-Swapped Character: Hatcher's adaptation introduces a significant change by transforming the character of Max Halliday into Maxine Hadley, creating a lesbian relationship with the protagonist, Margot Wendice. This change adds depth and contemporary relevance to the story.
The adaptation enhances Margot's agency and explores her relationship with Maxine, making it more complex and urgent, especially in the context of 1950s societal norms.

Cast

Morgan Caracci		MARGOT WENDICE
Tamara Malebranche		MAXINE HADLEY
Ray Yanek		TONY WENDICE
Nick Yanek		LESGATE
Jim Wlech		INSPECTOR HUBBARD

Scene Summary

Setting:

The living room of the Wendice flat in London, 1952

Act One

Scene 1 - A Friday evening in September.

Scene 2 - Saturday Evening.

Scene 3 - Later that night.

Act Two

Scene 1 - The next morning.

Scene 2 - A few Months later. Afternoon.

Creative Team

John Marsaglia		Director
Kitt Astrophe		Assistant Director
Brian Pross		Technical Director
Becki West		Stage Manager
Jason Hainline		Lead Set Construction
John Troch		set builder
Michelle Hainline		Set Painting
Karen & Rob Marsaglia		Set Decoration
Margaret Marsaglia		Social Media Manager
Cheryl Crisman		Box office

DIAL M FOR MURDER
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher
From the Original by Frederick Knott

Upcoming Shows

A Good Old-Fashioned Big Family Christmas Dec. 4-13, 2026

Hayden Stewart's wife, Judith, and her sisters, Carla and Beth, are worried about their parents. "They argue all the time," Judith says. When she mentions this to Hayden, he casually suggests maybe the women could spend some time with Jack and Arlene, their parents, and squelch any such arguments. The next thing Hayden knows, Judith is planning a huge Christmas party with the whole family. "And it was all Hayden's idea!" she boasts. This doesn't set well with his brothers-in-law, who have a hard time getting along with Jack. However, as time gets short and the party draws near, suddenly everyone is on their best behavior. The husbands, the wives, even the kids. Everybody is being good...too good. Is it possible to be TOO good? That's what Jack and Arlene suspect when they arrive. "Judith and Hayden must be having problems!" Arlene suspects. Then she and Jack start "putting on the act." Only the Stewarts' daughter, Phoebe, seems to be trying to start a fight. This party has more intrigue behind it than a whole host of spy novels by the time Hayden's parents, Tom and Marjorie, join them. Only Marjorie can see what's really going on. All the traditional Christmas standbys are utilized as the family tries to throw A Good Old-Fashioned Big Family Christmas.

Clue Feb 26 - Mar. 7, 2027

It’s a dark and stormy night, and our cast of oddball characters has been invited to a very unusual dinner party. Each of the guests has an alias, the butler offers a variety of weapons, and the host is, well, dead. So whodunit? Join the iconic oddballs known as Scarlet, Plum, White, Green, Peacock and Mustard as they race to find the murderer in Boddy Manor before the body count stacks up. Based on the cult classic film and the popular board game, Clue is a madcap comedy that will keep you guessing until the final twist.

May 7- 16, 2027

Two young men, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who lead double lives to escape social obligations. Both men assume the name "Ernest" while pursuing romantic interests, leading to a series of comedic misunderstandings.

Director's Note

You could’ve been anywhere in the world, but you’re here with us. We appreciate that. Anyone who knows me knows that ‘cinephile’ would likely be the first word in my online dating profile. As much as I love it, what you’re about to see is not a staging of the 1954 classic Hitchcock film. Instead, Frederick Knott’s 1952 stage play was adapted exactly 7o years later in 2022 by Jeffrey Hatcher, and with it came a slew of modern updates while still keeping the original story and plot devices in-tact. The result is a fresh take on an all-time classic that proves that good storytelling shall forever remain timeless. I like to think that everybody involved in this production gave every ounce of their being to ensure this show is the best it can be, and that’s all I can ask of a cast and crew. Whether this is a favorite of yours or you’re merely taking in Morris Theatre Guild’s “next show,” I encourage you to immerse yourself in an extraneous world that seems all too familiar nearly 75 years later. Enjoy.

Meet the Company

Morgan Caracci (MARGOT WENDICE)

Morgan is excited to be in her first leading role along side a magnificent group of actors, directors and tech crew! Morgan has previously acted in two other productions at MTG. In her free time, Morgan cooks Indonesian food as well as other spicy dishes. She also loves fashion.

Morgan is grateful for the opportunity to be part of this production and would like to thank all of her family and friends who have supported this hobby and helped her learn her lines!

Tamara Malebranche (MAXINE HADLEY)

Tamara is proportionally enthralled to be involved in this production! Tamara was last seen on the MTG stage portraying Truvy in Steel Magnolias. When Tamara is not solving murder mysteries on stage, she teaches at Minooka Elementary School and plays piano for a variety of parishes. She would like to thank her husband for allowing her to break their rule by doing two shows in one year, and the entire cast for teaching her how to smoke.

Ray Yanek (TONY WENDICE)

Ray is excited to return to the stage as Tony Wendice. He previously appeared as Felix Geisel in The Game’s A Foot, and is thrilled to take on a very different—and far more sinister—role this time around. In the rare moments he deviously plotting 'inductions dangerous" Ray writes novels, reads, works out, and teaches English to high schoolers who want to hurt him. Ray would like to thank the entire cast and crew for taking a chance on him and for welcoming him to Morris with open arms. He would also like to thank Nick, Dan, and Angie McKenzie for getting him involved in all this, and also his wife, Trisha, for being the gracious ‘theater widow’.

Nick Yanek (LESGATE)

Nick is thrilled to make his debut with the Morris Theater Guild! Previous credits include The Game’s Afoot (Gillette/Sherlock) and Annie (Ensemble). He will also be playing Dr. Scott in Vermillion Player’s shadow cast production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Halloween night in Pontiac! (R.I.P, Tim) Nick has been involved with community theaters for more than half of his life. He’d like to express his love and gratitude to his family and friends who are always supporting him! And even though it says Nick has the same last name as that Ray guy, he wanted to clarify that he has no idea who he is.

Jim Wlech (INSPECTOR HUBBARD)

Jim is thrilled once again to be performing on the MTG stage. This time as the meticulous, Inspector Hubbard, of Scotland Yard. Jim also recently directed the MTG winter production of "Steel Magnolias," earlier this year.
Jim has portrayed Paul Sheldon in the MTG's presentation of "Misery," and Felix Ungar in Niel Simon's "The Odd Couple."
More recently Jim was on stage as the Coach in The Great Beyond. Jim also played the dominant over dramatic Paul Burnside in the comedy, Star On The Door.
He also portrayed Herr Schultz in The Just Passing By Theatre Companies production of “Cabaret”.
Jim has directed other such stage hits for the MTG such as, “Lost In Yonkers” “Wait Until Dark” and “Bill W & Dr Bob."
Jim is employed with Heniff Transportation as a hazmat tanker driver and loves spending time with his family. Jim is a diehard White Sox fan and enjoys boating, fishing, and swimming, and relaxing at his Lake House on Delavan Lake Wisconsin, and camping at The Grundy Co Rod & Gun Club.
This is also Jim's 40th year serving on the MTG board. He is currently serving as Vice President. He is looking forward to many years ahead with the MTG.