A femme fatale. Dark, smoky backroom LA sets. Moral ambiguity. And an antihero moving between lust, greed and despair over two gripping hours. This is true crime noir. This is Double Indemnity.
We were invited to opening night at Wycombe Swan, and our eyes were glued to the stage from the moment Ciarán Owens as Walter Huff sauntered on. Fast-paced, assured storytelling with a 'perfect murder' plot and characters dripping in gravitas — it's a hugely entertaining night out.
Double Indemnity is a stage adaptation of James M. Cain's book and the iconic 1944 film. Set in 1930s Los Angeles, it follows Huff — a fed-up insurance salesman drawn into a scheme to murder the husband of Phyllis Nirdlinger. Together they plan to cash in on a double indemnity policy and disappear. What could possibly go wrong..?
Owens as Huff is the backbone of the show — narrating and starring in his own demise. He's a true antihero: desperately flawed, easily manipulated, yet somehow almost sympathetic. The moment he turns to the audience and accuses them of wanting to do exactly the same thing is both damning and unnerving.
Phyllis Nirdlinger is played by none other than Mischa Barton — she of The OC fame. Glamorous, charming, cold and deeply manipulative, she's the perfect femme fatale. The chemistry between Barton and Owens crackles even in the short run-up to their affair, and her icy detachment is unsettling from the off.
The minor characters are just as compelling. Martin Marquez as Keyes is a standout — cigar permanently in hand, growling drawl in full force, relentlessly dogged in his conviction that Nirdlinger's death was no accident. Oliver Ryan as the ill-fated Mr Nirdlinger is the perfect irritable foil to Huff's affable charm.
There’s a bleak quality to the set, which only serves to underline the moral decay of Huff and the web into which he’s been drawn. Long shadows and light filtered through shuttered blinds conjure a sense of being trapped — prison imagery without a cell in sight. Minimalist decoration serves to push the characters themselves into greater focus. No distractions here.
As a whole, Double Indemnity is a fascinating look at what people are capable of when lust, greed and a 'why not?' shrug of moral ambiguity take hold. As crime noir, there's no Belgian detective twirling his moustache to tie everything up neatly. This is gritty, real and not always pretty — and all the better for it.
At two hours fifteen, there's plenty of dialogue, narration and plot to keep up with — but the pacing is sharp enough that the audience stayed gripped throughout. Fans of film noir, strong performances and a genuinely unsettling evening will be very well served. Don't miss it. 🎭
Details
At the Wycombe Swan until Saturday 11th April
2.30pm and 7.30pm showings
More stage adaptations we’ve reviewed: The Shawshank Redemption and the Austen-inspired mystery Death Comes to Pemberley.
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