Double Indemnity is a classic novella and acclaimed film noir. What drew you to direct this piece for the stage? 

 When Double Indemnity landed in my inbox, I was intrigued. I love the novella and the film, and the play remains a brilliant moral thriller – taut, psychologically intense, driven by the fatalistic momentum of a Greek tragedy.  

Tom Holloway’s adaptation roots the piece in a world that feels close to us now, which sharpens the tension further. And he brilliantly uses the fact we’re all in the same room, together to enhance the storytelling – with Walter treating the audience like we’re his conscience. It’s immediate, unsettling and gripping.   

As a director, how do you balance staying true to the source while bringing your own vision? 

James M. Cain’s depression-era story is instantly compelling, but adaptation requires reinvention. Tom’s version explores how the story speaks to us now. My role is to find a visual and emotional language that speaks to today’s audiences, whilst holding onto the essence of Cain’s world. It’s about preserving the tautness, irony and fatalism, whilst expressing them through a contemporary stage grammar, getting under the skin of the story to tell it in a way that only theatre can.  

Mischa Barton stars as Phyllis Nirdlinger. What makes her right for the role?  

Mischa has a fascinating mix of warmth and unknowability. These qualities felt perfect for Phyllis. Her intelligence, stillness and instinct for emotional truth will allow her create a three-dimensional Phyllis. 

What makes Double Indemnity resonate today? 

Double Indemnity captures the moral corrosion that occurs when ordinary people are trapped in systems that insist there’s only one acceptable path. Written during the Great Depression, it reflects the economic anxiety of that time, and the curdling of the American Dream. Walter is just a middle-class insurance salesman whose crime grows from desperation and opportunity. The notion that anyone might cross that line feels as true now as then.  

We live within a culture shaped by capitalism, where status and security come at a price. Walter and Phyllis’ scheme reflects the sense that the system is rigged and the only way to get ahead is to cheat. 

What can audiences expect? 

 Audiences can expect a production that’s seductive, stylish and charged with danger. Instead of watching from a safe distance, they’ll feel complicit as the story’s heartbeat quickens. And, beneath the surface lies a question that’s both human and unsettling: If no one was watching, how far would you go to get what you want?