Latest news with #Drieberg
Sydney Morning Herald
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
In the '50s this Hitchcock story might have passed for light entertainment. Today, it reads as true crime.
When Dean Drieberg was approached to direct a stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder, he immediately spotted the elephant in the room. The story of a man planning to murder his wife might have passed for light entertainment in 1954, but in 2025 it reads closer to true crime. Rather than pull away from reality, Drieberg decided to lean into it. 'Last year alone 103 women were killed by men in Australia. I couldn't avoid that statistic and I wanted to point at that with this play and with this production.' Stage thrillers have been having a moment of late, with shows such as The Talented Mr Ripley, And Then There Were None and Gaslight touring the country. Hitchcock casts his shadow over other adaptations this year, too, via The Birds at Malthouse Theatre and the upcoming Rebecca at MTC. But nowhere else is that shadow so dark as with Dial M. It's not just that the play follows the machinations of a murderous misogynist. It's that the relationship of Hitchcock to his leading ladies is now regarded as troubling. The Birds star Tippi Hedren alleged the director sexually assaulted her and then attempted to ruin her career. In The 39 Steps, Hitchcock handcuffed Madeleine Carroll to her male co-star for hours, even when she needed to use the bathroom. Drieberg's Dial M isn't just a hit job on the director, though. 'I love Hitchcock's films. I've loved Hitchcock's films since I was a teenager and still do. Him as a person, different story. We've had a lot of really problematic behaviour from him and especially how he treated his female stars. That's also wrapped into this, all these themes that I've been exploring within this show, like ego and toxic masculinity and the patriarchy and misogyny.' But how do you go about honouring the timeless strengths of Hitchcock's 1954 classic without glorifying the neuroses and, well, perviness that permeate so much of his oeuvre? For Drieberg, it was about allowing the two to coexist. 'We start it grounded in the '50s and very much lean into the style of that time. And then we're slowly introducing more contemporary elements into it,' the director said.
The Age
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
In the '50s this Hitchcock story might have passed for light entertainment. Today, it reads as true crime.
When Dean Drieberg was approached to direct a stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder, he immediately spotted the elephant in the room. The story of a man planning to murder his wife might have passed for light entertainment in 1954, but in 2025 it reads closer to true crime. Rather than pull away from reality, Drieberg decided to lean into it. 'Last year alone 103 women were killed by men in Australia. I couldn't avoid that statistic and I wanted to point at that with this play and with this production.' Stage thrillers have been having a moment of late, with shows such as The Talented Mr Ripley, And Then There Were None and Gaslight touring the country. Hitchcock casts his shadow over other adaptations this year, too, via The Birds at Malthouse Theatre and the upcoming Rebecca at MTC. But nowhere else is that shadow so dark as with Dial M. It's not just that the play follows the machinations of a murderous misogynist. It's that the relationship of Hitchcock to his leading ladies is now regarded as troubling. The Birds star Tippi Hedren alleged the director sexually assaulted her and then attempted to ruin her career. In The 39 Steps, Hitchcock handcuffed Madeleine Carroll to her male co-star for hours, even when she needed to use the bathroom. Drieberg's Dial M isn't just a hit job on the director, though. 'I love Hitchcock's films. I've loved Hitchcock's films since I was a teenager and still do. Him as a person, different story. We've had a lot of really problematic behaviour from him and especially how he treated his female stars. That's also wrapped into this, all these themes that I've been exploring within this show, like ego and toxic masculinity and the patriarchy and misogyny.' But how do you go about honouring the timeless strengths of Hitchcock's 1954 classic without glorifying the neuroses and, well, perviness that permeate so much of his oeuvre? For Drieberg, it was about allowing the two to coexist. 'We start it grounded in the '50s and very much lean into the style of that time. And then we're slowly introducing more contemporary elements into it,' the director said.
Irish Independent
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘The very fact that we're having this conversation is detracting from the competition' – Radio Nova host on Israel participation in Eurovision
As the 69th contest is under way, with Ireland and Israel both performing in the second semi-final in Basel tonight, the furore has not abated. Drieberg, who is reporting on Eurovision 2025 for Radio Nova, said the mood remains high in the Swiss town despite controversy over Israel's participation. Russia was kicked out because they broke the rules of the EBU and violated Eurovision rules. Israel hasn't broken any rules 'As a Eurovision fan and as a guy who's worked at it for the last decade, I have an opinion; they [Israel] shouldn't be here. Is that my personal opinion? Yes. But it's hard to justify that as they're following the rules,' he said. 'The argument that Russia was kicked out [in 2022] because of the war isn't actually correct. 'Russia was kicked out because they broke the rules of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and violated Eurovision rules. Israel hasn't broken any rules.' He said the security was actually higher in Sweden for last year's event than the scenes he has witnessed so far. 'There's definitely security but I saw army tanks on the streets in Sweden. I haven't seen that in Switzerland – but then again, we are in a neutral country. 'There's definitely security, there's definitely police around and roads closed but that's all standard Eurovision stuff. Do I get a sense that there's any more security than usual? No.' The presenter said he feels the focus should be on the event itself, as opposed to the politics around it. Last week saw over 70 former contestants signing an open letter calling for organisers to ban Israel. RTÉ's director general Kevin Bakhurst also had a meeting with the EBU to raise Ireland's concerns. ADVERTISEMENT 'The very fact that we're having this conversation is detracting from the competition,' Mr Drieberg said. 'We should be talking about the 15,000 people who have descended on this little town of Basel and how wonderful the competition is, 70 years next year and how Ireland is going for its eighth win. That should be the discussion.' The new guidelines brought in by the EBU for this year's event have helped to keep any tensions to a minimum, he believes. 'I think the problem last year with Bambie Thug – who rightfully had the protest – is they were being asked so many questions so many times by so many journalists and it became an issue.'
