DIAL M FOR MURDER

Dial M for Murder proved to be a challenge for me as a composer. Due to a last minute change in director, I had one week to compose music for each transition, as well as a murder, overture, and curtain call. I listened to scores from several Hitchcock films to gain understanding of the style and then dove in.

The biggest piece of underscoring is in the murder scene. Since this scene includes a huge thunderstorm, I decided to incorporate it into my composition. The piece grows and grows until the moment when Swann/Lesgate sneaks in and attempts to strangle Margot while she is on the phone with Tony. The fight ends with her stabbing Swann/Lesgate with her sewing scissors as the whistle sounds.

​Tony, the planner of the foiled murder, is caught because he ended up with the wrong key for his flat. This is revealed by a series of cues that include him pacing outside trying to unlock doors for which he has the would-be murderer's key instead of his own. I used several locational speakers behind the upstage wall and moved footsteps between them. I also used them for shattering glass and the sound of a key turning in a lock. These effects added to the suspense and made the actions believable.

In this show, the actors talk to each other on the phone several times. I did this by placing two standing microphones backstage (one in case of malfunction) with a monitor with a feed of the head microphones. These were fitted with a very tinny EQ to account for being through a telephone line. The backstage microphones were then routed through the house speakers and the stage monitors. The actors were then able to have a real conversation.

Director: Tim Browning
Scenic Designer: Jeremy Hollis
Lighting Designer: Jennifer Sansfacon
Costume Designer: Cora Delbridge
​Stage Manager: Julianne Graffeo