Double Indemnity

Palace Theatre & Opera House Manchester

CURTAIN UP: 19:35
CURTAIN DOWN: 21:50

‘DID THE CAST GET AWAY WITH MURDER?!’

‘MURDER. SUSPENSE. HOLLYWOOD HIGHS’

‘HOLLYWOOD MURDER MYSTERY IN THE HEART OF MANCHESTER ALL WEEK’

‘DOUBLE INDEMNITY RECEIVED DOUBLE STARS ON THE NIGHT’

Tonight we ventured to the Manchester Opera House for the Press Night of Double Indemnity.

The stage adaptation of Double Indemnity, based on James M. Cain’s 1943 novel and famously adapted for film, is a noir thriller set in 1930s Los Angeles. It follows Walter Huff, an insurance salesman seduced by the calculating Phyllis Nirdlinger into murdering her husband to claim a fraudulent "double indemnity" insurance payout, only for the plan to unravel under the investigation of Walter's colleague.

We were greeted by a brutalist set that originally gave us the vibe of being inside an air conditioning unit. Thankfully the set created by TI GREEN made sense as the evening commenced. A lot of haze is used along with nice dynamic lighting from JOSHUA GADSBY which frames areas of the stage to create an office, train station, secluded wood up in the Hollywood hills. We noticed the giant ‘HOLL’ of the famous sign when we first sat down. This set the Californian scene expertly.

MISCHA BARTON plays step mom and wife Phyllis Nirdlinger with a bold brash swagger throughout. Her accent was compelling. We just wanted more from her.

Our stand out performance on the night goes to MARTIN MARQUEZ - Keyes. That gravelly, gritty booming voice must take a lot of control. He really holds the other characters to account. He’s compelling and had us in the palm of his hands.

The character of Walter Huff - from CIARÁN OWENS is on stage throughout. He has a lot of dialogue to convey and needs to grab you from the get go. This he is successful at - breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience during the opening and closing of the show. I found this detail pretty crucial to stay engaged.

Did this cast get away with murder?!…. I think they did.

Some tweaks we feel are needed to really wow modern uk touring audiences. So for that we award 2** as the script & actors of this calibre have way more to give.

Plays until May 2nd 2026

https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/double-indemnity/opera-house-manchester/