James M. Cain was writing pulp fiction long before anyone coined the term for the genre, his 1943 novel Double Indemnity first appearing in serialized form in the pages of a 5 cent magazine some 7 years earlier.
The film rights were snapped up before the story ever appeared in book form, and Billy Wilder was already in the throes of committing it to celluloid when the book went to print. It was pretty racy stuff for the time, and how its themes of fraud, adultery and murder made their way past the newly introduced Hays Code is a subject for a whole essay in itself.
The novel, and in fact the real-life murder that inspired it, have been the subject of numerous adaptations, but most people will be familiar with it through Wilder’s film, considered by many (myself included) to be one of the greatest examples of Film Noir ever made, possibly even one of the greatest pieces of cinema.
Raymond Chandler famously wrote the screenplay for the film, tightening up the plot and adding some exceptional snappy dialogue, and who can forget that controversially cheap wig and ankle bracelet that Barbara Stanwyck donned to make her into one of cinema’s most sleazy femme fatales.
For this stage adaptation, writer Tom Holloway has in very studied fashion returned to Cain’s text, and the most obvious indication of this is the reversion back to the original character names. Here it is Phyllis Nirdlinger who seduces and conspires with insurance salesman Walter Huff to murder her irksome husband. (This is a will-they-get-away-with-it rather than a whodunit, so that doesn’t count as a spoiler any more than telling you that the Titanic sinks!) As soon as they start to talk about that double indemnity clause – which increases the payout if the person insured dies through an accident – you just know his days are numbered.
Whilst Huff’s boss Barton Keyes (played with great style and impact by Martin Marquez) still features strongly, the story does not utilize Chandler’s framing device of a confession to the dictaphone, but Holloway retains Cain’s first person narrative from Huff to deliver the thrust of the story, in a manner we often associate with characters like Sam Spade. Ciaran Owens is great casting as Huff, and his direct address to the audience is delivered with no sense of artifice, feeling entirely natural as a way to draw us in. Mischa Barton is outstanding as Phyllis, less ‘cheap’ than Stanwyck’s Phillis Dietrichson, but every inch as deadly. There are also strong parts for Sophia Roberts and Joseph Langdon as Phillis’s stepdaughter Lola and her suspicious boyfriend Nino.
Set and costumes by Ti Green and lighting by Josh Gadsby work together to create a striking look to the production. With the ‘Hollywoodland’ sign looming in the background, the claustrophobic tunnel-like set is washed with striations of light through horizontal blinds, in an obvious homage to John Seitz’s legendary cinematography. In the murky half-light, scene transitions are slick and well rehearsed, and the staging has a few nifty visual tricks up its sleeve. Given recent repeated calls for Wigs Hair and Makeup to be recognised at the Olivier awards, it is good to be able to credit the fine work that Jess and Jo have done in ‘WHAM’ for this production.
Punctuated by Dan Balfour’s atmospheric and period-soaked soundtrack, and with tight, controlled and creeping direction from Oscar Toeman, this stage production will not fail to absorb fans of the film or lovers of this style of crime fiction. One caveat is to suggest that anyone coming to this solely from the point of view of the cinema can expect the story to take a slightly different direction in places, as it reverts back to Cain’s version of events.
Double Indemnity is produced by Trafalgar Entertainment and opened at Eastbourne in February. After this week’s visit to Liverpool Playhouse it continues its UK tour with dates currently booking through till May.
Rating: 4 stars
Production Photography by Manuel Harlan
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This review was originally written for publication by Good News Liverpool
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