A Case of Murder on the Bay Street Stage

Greed, jealousy and revenge can motivate people to commit all sorts of malicious acts, a phenomenon seemingly embedded in human nature itself.

They also make rich fodder for works of fiction, as any fan of mysteries and thrillers well knows.

“Dial ‘M’ for Murder,” the classic noir thriller, capitalizes on both and will soon give audiences at Bay Street Theater a guided tour of how its main characters bob and weave through the complexities of a particularly personal crime — a man plotting to kill his wife.

In this latest adaptation, writer Jeffrey Hatcher has added some contemporary twists and a good amount of dark humor, according to director Walter Bobbie. The result he describes is a production with a thoroughly vintage feel and a very modern sense of entertainment.

“[Hatcher] upped the stakes on the secret affair that partly motivates the husband, adding an increased sexual tension that feels fresh and more resonant today,” Bobbie said in a recent interview two days into rehearsals. “It brought me to tears when I read it, and I laughed at the very first line.

“I don’t remember the last time that’s happened, and I read a lot of plays.”

Bobbie is a Tony-award-winning director best known for shepherding the 1996 revival of “Chicago” on Broadway. He is also an accomplished, award-winning actor and writer.

Previews of the play, starring Mamie Gummer, Erich Bergen, Rosa Gilmore, Max Gordon Moore and Reg Rogers, begin June 27 at Bay Street. The official premiere is set for the night of July 1. The show runs through July 23.

“Dial ‘M’ For Murder” is the first true thriller put on at Bay Street during artistic director’s Scott Schwartz’s 10-year tenure, he said, and Schwartz was keen to stage it. It will be the theater’s second summer production, following on the heels of the world premiere musical “Double Helix,” which closed June 18.

“I felt like this summer I wanted to create a season with all different kinds of work and especially wanted something in July that would be exciting and really fun and thrilling, no pun intended,” Schwartz said. The period piece with its moody lighting, luxurious stage design — dressed to mimic a luxe London townhouse in the 1950s — and sophisticated costumes is designed to offer “a fun, glamorous night at the theater that will give the audience chills.”

Schwartz said Bobbie was a natural choice for director, his first choice, in fact. Even though Bobbie lives year-round in Water Mill and Schwartz has known him for many years, he wasn’t sure the director would be interested.

“Honestly, I thought there’s no way I’m going to get him, but it couldn’t hurt to ask,” Schwartz said. “I was elated. The stylishness of this production is exactly the kind of thing he is known for and does so well.”

Bobbie said it was an easy “yes.”

Schwartz and Bay Street largely let Bobbie take control and assemble a cast and crew of his choosing — a freedom the director greatly appreciated.

“Bay Street has been very generous in not delivering to me their ideas of how to go about this, but rather, once they hired me, they let me bring my ideas to them,” he said. “I feel very welcomed here and you don’t always get that, especially in regional theater.”

“Dial ‘M’ for Murder,” written by Frederick Knott, was first staged on Broadway in 1952. It had a 16-month run and was famously adapted for the screen in 1954 in a production starring Grace Kelly and Ray Milland, directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Bobbie said his biggest challenge for this production was, as is almost always the case, in casting. It is a kind of trust exercise in creating chemistry with actors, “or what you believe will be chemistry,” but can’t be sure of until rehearsals begin.

Mamie Gummer, who works on stage, in film and on television, was top of mind for Bobbie in casting the part of the wife, Margot — a wealthy socialite with a secret. Her credits include TV series such as “True Crime,” “The Good Wife” and the 2008 Broadway production of “Les Liaisons Dangereuses.” She is the daughter of Meryl Streep.

“Mamie is a vulnerable leading lady, but she has great wit and … I know the range of what she can do,” Bobbie said. “She also has a unique beauty, which you need in this part. It is really such a good fit.”

In the play, her character, Margot, is an heiress married to a retired English tennis player, Tony, who discovers Margot has had an affair with an American writer. Instead of confronting his wife, the infidelity spurs Tony, who was already unhappy with Margot, to plot to kill her and inherit her fortune.

Erich Bergen will play Tony, the duplicitous husband. Bergen’s resume includes being part of the permanent cast of “Madame Secretary” on CBS and playing the role of Bob Gaudio, one of The Four Seasons, in the film version of “Jersey Boys.” He has also appeared in the Broadway productions of “Waitress” and “Chicago,” as Billy Flynn.

“He is smart and has genuine wit and charm and I’ve said to his face, I always believed he could marry for money,” Bobbie said with a laugh. “And I mean that in the nicest possible way, of course. He’s a charmer.”

The remaining cast signed on and as rehearsals began, the director said he was “delighted” with the results.

“They were smart, prepared, asked very smart questions and I sat there with a sense of wonder and, I must say, satisfaction, watching them,” Bobbie said.

Being a classic noir thriller, lighting and atmosphere are key components to Bay Street’s production of “Dial ‘M’ for Murder.” They will help set the mood and provide an immersive experience for the audience. For that part of the production, Bobbie put together a crew of celebrated veterans of the American theater he has worked with and admired, he said.

The crew consists of lighting designer Donald Holder, scenic designer Anna Louizos, costume designer Jeff Mahshie, sound designer Dan Moses Schreier and props designer Nicole Rozanski. Bobbie also enlisted Stefanie Anarumo as his assistant director, Melissa Sparks as the production stage manager, fight director Thomas Schall and dialect coach Deborah Hecht.

Bobbie has been working with Holder on a “very careful examination of the lighting” because, as he explained, “there’s a lot of narrative to the light. Set design was driven by the need to recreate a high-end mid-century modern London townhouse that would indirectly convey Margot’s inherited wealth. To achieve a transformative set, Bobbie and Louizos worked with Wyeth, a dealer in Sagaponack specializing in mid-century modern furniture. The dealer is lending the production $130,000 worth of furniture, according to the director.

Taken all together, Bobbie and Schwartz expect Bay Street’s production of “Dial ‘M’ for Murder” to give audiences an old-fashioned thriller with a fresh contemporary feel and a night out of pure entertainment.

“Thrillers like these aren’t meant to convey broad themes or leave the audience thinking, they are just meant to be entertaining,” Bobbie said.

“It’s sort of fun to watch people be wicked.”

“Dial ‘M’ for Murder” runs June 27 through July 23 at Bay Street Theater on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor. Shows are Tuesday through Sunday, with matinees on some Wednesdays and weekends. Tickets start at $50 at baystreet.org or 631-725-9500.