Bridget Coggins, left, as Margot Wendice recoils from Ben Little as Captain Lesgate during a tense moment in Dial M for Murder at The Acting Company in Yuba City.

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - Audiences may know the crime is coming, but the real key to enjoying The Acting Company’s latest production is watching a carefully locked plan fall apart.

Based on the 1952 stage thriller by Frederick Knott, later popularized by Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film adaptation, Dial M for Murder follows the calculated scheme of Tony Wendice, a former tennis pro who plots to murder his wealthy wife, Margot. When the meticulously crafted plan begins to unravel, the story shifts from premeditated crime to a tense battle of wits, where deception piles upon deception and the truth becomes increasingly elusive.

Fondly nicknamed “Dial M,” the production marks the first show of The Acting Company’s 42nd season. Directed by David Wheeler, emeritus professor of theater and film, the show leans into an operatic style designed to enthrall the audience. The heightened dramatization is immediately apparent in the stage design, where a stark black-and-red palette cuts sharply across the set. Gold trim framing completes the look, suggesting an upscale condominium interior. Each act opens with thematic music and lighting as the actors strike a frozen stage picture, subtly foreshadowing the action to come and reinforcing the production’s stylized tone.

The cast of Dial M for Murder takes a bow following a performance Feb. 22 at The Acting Company in Yuba City. The suspense thriller opens the company’s 42nd season.

Though often labeled a murder mystery, this production plays more like a suspense thriller. The audience is made privy early to Tony’s premeditated scheme and instead watches the disastrous events unfold in real time. What ultimately holds attention is the intricate web of lies Tony spins as he attempts to salvage his botched plan and still secure his desired outcome. His methodical approach meets its match in Maxine, whose sharp instincts begin to unravel the carefully constructed facade.

Bridget Coggins, who made her Acting Company debut last summer in Pirates of Penzance, returns to showcase her dramatic range as Margot Wendice. She is paired with the fresh talent of Hans Knightley, a recent graduate of UC San Diego’s theater program, in the role of Tony Wendice. Knightley’s Tony is thoroughly unlikable yet impossible to look away from. His performance builds steadily as the character devolves from polished and composed to increasingly reactive and disheveled. Another new face to The Acting Company stage is Darren Shearer, who delivers a grounded and believable performance as the inspector, providing a steady counterbalance to the escalating tension.

From left, Bridget Coggins as Margot Wendice, Megan Shearer as Maxine Halliday and Hans Knightley as Tony Wendice appear in a scene from Dial M for Murder, now playing at The Acting Company in Yuba City until March 15.

This updated adaptation highlights the romantic relationship between Maxine and Margot, adding emotional stakes and contemporary resonance. Wheeler’s staging further layers the subtext with subtle suggestions that the play’s themes of secrecy and repression may extend beyond the central pairing. Beneath this intrigue, the production reminds audiences that, despite our differences, we are often united by the darker pulls of money, love, power and security.

The first half of Act 1 unfolds as a deliberate slow burn, heavy with exposition. Patient viewers, however, will be rewarded. By intermission, the audience is firmly on the edge of its seat and remains there through the final moments. Before long, the cast is taking bows and the evening feels to have passed in a flash. If anything, the ending may leave some viewers, myself included, wishing for just one more moment of resolution. Still, leaving the theater wanting more is rarely a bad thing.

Dial M for Murder continues its run at The Acting Company in Yuba City on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., with the final performance scheduled for March 15.