Dial L for Latch-Key by Scott Fivelson

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Forty-three years after his death, Alfred Hitchcock remains one of the best known directors of all time. Even those few who have never seen his films can recognize him when they see him. Over the years Hitchcock's films and the tropes common to those films have been parodied many times, but few of those parodies are as funny as the one-act play Dial L for Latch-Key by screenwriter/director Scott Fivelson.

Dial L for Latch-Key takes its title from Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film Dial M for Murder, which in turn was based on the 1952 play by Frederick Knott. It draws heavily upon Dial M for Murder for inspiration, with characters based upon the stars of that film (Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, and Robert Cummings). At the same time, Dial L for Latch-Key goes well beyond being a mere parody of Dial M for Murder, with its own twists and turns. Even those who have seen Dial M for Murder repeatedly will not be able to predict how Dial L for Latch-Key ends.

What makes Dial L for Latch-Key all the more fun are the many references to Alfred Hitchcock's films throughout the play. The play references Hitchcock's more famous works, such as The Birds (1963), as well as works that are not quite as famous, such as Stage Fright (1950). Dial L for Latch-Key also plays with the various tropes to be found in many of Hitchcock's films, not just Dial M for Murder. What makes Dial L for Latch-Key even better is that from time to time it very subtly breaks the fourth wall. In particular, the character of the Inspector seems to be in on the joke with the audience.

Dial L for Latch-Key has been produced onstage in London at the Upstairs at the Gatehouse theatre starring jazz singer/actor James Torme, at the Accidental Theatre in Belfast, and on stages in San Francisco, Toronto, and elsewhere. Dial L for Latch-Key has been adapted as a radio play and released as an audiobook (Blackstone Audio), has been broadcast on Resonance FM in London, and has been published as an eBook (Blackstone Publishing).

Dial L for Latch-Key is a delightful, yet respectful send-up of Alfred Hitchcock and his movies. What is more, it is done in such a way that one need not be a Hitchcock fan to appreciate it.