Displaying items by tag: Frederick Knott

Oil Lamp Theater, presenting I Love You Because, August 14 - September 13, is proud to announce the cast and creative team for its next production, Dial M for Murder, October 2 - November 1, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original play by Frederick Knott and directed by Daniel King, at Oil Lamp Theater, 1723 Glenview Road. The schedule includes two preview performances Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Oct. 3 at 3 p.m., with an opening performance Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. (Understudy Performance); Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Wednesday Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $30 for previews and $55 for the run at OilLampTheater.org.  

Alfred Hitchcock’s adored, chilling thriller gets a modern twist that no one sees coming. A murderous misstep begins a high-stakes hunt for the real criminal as time is quickly running out. This captivating, heart-racing play leaves audiences on the edge of their seats while the mystery of the year unravels before their eyes. Will the clues unlock the right person, or will an innocent victim pay the price? The suspenseful play is to die for…

The cast of Dial M for Murder includes John Chambers (he/him, Tony Wendice); Charlotte Foster (she/her, Maxine Hadley); Paige Klopfenstein (she/her, Margot Wendice); Robert Austin Love (he/him, Lesgate); James Sparling (he/him, Inspector Hubbard); Cooper Bohn (he/him, Tony Wendice U/S); Ava Pirie (she/her, Maxine Hadley U/S); Daria Koon (she/they, Margot Wendice U/S); Thomas  Ferro (he/him, Lesgate U/S) and Matt Hellyer (he/him Inspector Hubbard U/S).

The production team includes Daniel King (he/him, director); Spencer Donovan (he/him, scenic designer); Taylor Pfenning (she/her, costume designer); Jamie Macpherson (she/her, intimacy choreographer and fight director); Conner Nicoson (they/them, technical director);  Connor Windle (she/her, production manager); Brenden Delcorio (he/him, stage manager); Rick Reid (he/him, sound designer); Gigi Bjork-Nelson (she/her, assistant stage manager) and Rose Leisner (she/her, company manager).

ABOUT DANIEL KING, DIRECTOR

Daniel King is a Queer director who is a company member of Three Crows Theatre and serves on the artistic advisory board for Bump in the Night Theatre (BiTN). Additional upcoming projects include The Mystery Plays (BiTN) and Iolanthe (Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company). Selected credits include The Drowning Girls (Jeff Nomination) and The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me (Three Crows), A Picasso (Elsinore), Gross Indecency and Fun Home (IU). King has a MFA in directing from  IU-Bloomington; a BFA in acting from Chicago College of Performing Arts and is a proud associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

ABOUT OIL LAMP THEATER

Oil Lamp Theater is a professional nonprofit performing arts organization in Glenview, Illinois, welcoming over 10,000 patrons annually from more than 225 communities—41% from Glenview and others from across the North Shore and Chicago. Since establishing its intimate 60-seat home in downtown Glenview in 2012, Oil Lamp has grown into a cultural beacon, earning recognition as “Best Live Theatre in the North Shore” for four consecutive years.

With more than 70 productions to date, Oil Lamp is known for its dynamic Mainstage season, special events and its resilience during the pandemic, when it innovated with drive-in performances and outdoor productions. Today, the theatre continues to foster connection, broaden horizons and illuminate the human condition through professional theater and year-round programming.

In addition to its productions, Oil Lamp Theater operates Oil Lamp Academy, its education branch dedicated to “Training for Life Through the Performing Arts.” In 2025 alone, the program served more than 230 students ages three to 97 years old, offering classes that use theater as a pathway to build confidence, creativity and lifelong skills.

Oil Lamp launched Light The Way in 2025, a transformative fundraising campaign designed to expand arts education, strengthen essential staff and establish a larger performance venue with the goal of staying in downtown Glenview. And in July 2026, Oil Lamp announced its new future home will be at the former Ten Ninety Brewing Co. in Downtown Glenview, 1025 Waukegan Road, next to Oil Lamp Academy. Building on its roots as a scrappy storefront, Oil Lamp is evolving into a more robust organization—without losing the intimacy and warmth that define its theater experience. Oil Lamp Theater hopes this announcement inspires excitement throughout the community. Stay tuned as additional news is shared in the near future. For information or to support the campaign go to OilLampTheater.org/Light-the-Way or reach out to Oil Lamp at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Oil Lamp Theater, presenting I Love You Because, August 14 - September 13, is proud to announce the cast and creative team for its next production, Dial M for Murder, October 2 - November 1, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original play by Frederick Knott and directed by Daniel King, at Oil Lamp Theater, 1723 Glenview Road. The schedule includes two preview performances Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Oct. 3 at 3 p.m., with an opening performance Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. (Understudy Performance); Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Wednesday Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $30 for previews and $55 for the run at OilLampTheater.org.  

 
About Joffrey's The Nutcracker 

Wheeldon's modern masterpiece rings in the holidays. Follow young Marie and the Nutcracker Prince on a whirlwind journey through the 1893 World's Fair—a dazzling spectacle of sights, sounds and enchantment. This annual tradition celebrates the magic of the season and the rich cultural heritage of Chicago like no other. 

Single tickets start at $47 and are available for purchase at Lyric Opera Box Office located at 20 N. Upper Wacker Dr. and by telephone at 312.386.8905 or online at joffrey.org

Something wicked is winding its way through the velvet curtains of Drury Lane Theatre—and it reeks of roses, red wine, and murder. Dial M for Murder, the classic thriller originally crafted by Frederick Knott in 1952 and immortalized on screen by Alfred Hitchcock in 1954, returns to the stage with a razor-sharp adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher that’s as stylish as it is sinister.

Set against the moody backdrop of 1950s London, the production invites us into the polished yet precarious world of Margot (Amanada Drinkall) and Tony Wendice (Erik Hellman) - a couple whose marriage gleams with charm but conceals a darker undercurrent. Beneath the tailored suits and cocktail-hour smiles lies a web of betrayal, manipulation, and a meticulously plotted murder that threatens to unravel with every twist of the telephone cord.

Hatcher’s adaptation breathes fresh life into the suspense, tightening the dialogue and sharpening the stakes while preserving the noir elegance of the original. The result is a theatrical experience that feels both vintage and vital - a slow burn that simmers into a full-blown psychological inferno.

Tony Wendice, a former tennis star turned calculating husband, discovers his wife Margot’s affair with mystery writer Maxine Hadley (Alexandra Silber). Rather than confront her, he plots her murder with chilling precision, believing one perfect move will reclaim his unraveling life.

But perfection proves elusive.

When the plan collapses, the story spirals into a maze of blackmail, disloyalty, and psychological warfare. Margot becomes both pawn and player, navigating a world where loyalties shift, truths blur, and every silence speaks volumes.

This isn’t just a thriller—it’s a taut exploration of control, vulnerability, and the artful menace of manipulation.

Alexandra Silber, Amanda Drinkall, Erik Hellman in Drury Lane Theatre's Dial M for Murder.

The players are sensational in the dialogue heavy, quick witted, edge-of-your-seat mystery thriller. Erick Hellman delivers a diabolical and shrewd Tony, Amanda Drinkall is delightful as Margot and Alexandra Silber is a true force as Maxine. Johnathan Weir is also tremendous as sleuthing Inspector Hubbard while Ian Paul Custer is perfectly cast as the Tony’s patsy, Captain Lesgate.

Wonderfully directed by Adam Immerwahr in his Drury Lane debut, this production of Dial M for Murder masterfully marries vintage intrigue with a brisk, modern rhythm. It’s not just a revival - it’s a reinvention – and Drury Lane Theatre is the perfect venue to stage this mystery thriller. The bones of Frederick Knott’s original mystery remain intact, but the pacing has been sharpened, the humor dialed up, and the twists recalibrated for a contemporary audience.

Visually, the production luxuriates in noir-inspired elegance, its seductive precision shaped by a powerhouse design team: Paige Hathaway’s scenic work evokes shadow and intrigue, Joshua Schmidt’s sound design hums with tension, Emma Deane’s lighting casts drama in every corner, and Nicole Boylan’s costumes wrap the cast in mystery and allure. Shadow-drenched lighting carves out tension in every corner, while period costumes evoke mid-century elegance tinged with menace. The sound design - subtle yet insistent - acts as an invisible character, underscoring moments of dread, desire, and deception. It’s a production that doesn’t just tell a story; it envelops the audience in its atmosphere.

The result is a theatrical experience that feels both timeless and timely - a stylish homage to Hitchcockian suspense, reimagined with the velocity and wit of modern storytelling.

At its core, Dial M for Murder is a taut exploration of trust fractured by ambition, love corroded by suspicion, and appearances polished to mask peril. The play doesn’t simply flirt with deception - it dissects it. Every gesture, every line of dialogue, is laced with the question: how far will someone go to preserve their illusion of control, or to dismantle another’s?

Dial M for Murder is a psychological chess match where secrets are currency, gaslighting is taken to the extreme and duplicity is both weapon and wound. As the characters maneuver through layers of manipulation and moral ambiguity, the audience is left to ponder not just who’s guilty - but whether anyone is truly innocent.

Running through October 26^th, this is a highly recommended thriller that you won’t want to miss. For tickets and/or more show information visit https://drurylanetheatre.com/dial-m-for-murder/.

*This review is also featured on https://www.theatreinchicago.com/!