Asolo Conservatory stages a film noir classic with a difference

If you’re a fan of classic film noir, you’ve probably seen “Double Indemnity” more than once. The mystery, directed by Billy Wilder and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in an atypical role, is a defining entry in the noir genre.

But even if you’ve seen it a hundred times, Katie Cunningham said, you’ll still be surprised by the Asolo Conservatory production.

“The story was originally published as a serialized novella,” she said. “Then when the entire serial was done, it was published as a complete novella. The movie was based on the novella, and the stage version was based on the novella. There are some significant differences. The film took some liberties with the novella.”

Cunningham, an Asolo Conservatory alumna and an actor who regular theater-goers in the area are familiar with, plays Phyllis, the Barbara Stanwyck character, in the conservatory production. She’s also a fan of classic movies and film noir in particular, and she knows the film well.

The original serial appeared in “Liberty” magazine in 1926. The complete novella was published in 1943. The film came out the following year, but it wasn’t until 2007 that David Pichette and R. Hamilton Wright adapted it for the stage. It’s been produced regularly around the country since then.

People who love the film will enjoy the familiarity of the play, Cunningham said, but they’ll also be able to enjoy the differences.

“The climax is different,” she said. “The film had sort of a Hollywood ending. So even though it’s a mystery, if you know the film you can still be surprised.” (A review of a production of the play in California called its ending “stunningly theatrical.”)

The story, for those who aren’t familiar, is a murder-mystery with a bit of a twist. Instead of a cop or a private investigator, the male lead is an insurance salesman. He gets romantically mixed up with a woman who wants to buy a life insurance policy on her husband.

James M. Cain, who also wrote “The Postman Always Rings Twice,” wrote the novella, and Wilder co-wrote the script with famed detective novelist Raymond Chandler.

The production, directed by Greg Leaming, is part of the Asolo Conservatory’s new “Dog Days” series. It’s a summer series (just two productions this year) that Leaming designed to fill the void left by Banyan Theater, which folded two years ago. Besides offering summer theater fare to Sarasota audiences, the series gives conservatory students a chance to work in professional productions, sharing the stage with established professional actors.

The first play in the “Dog Days” series, Alan Ayckbourn’s “Relatively Speaking,” wrapped up a popular run on July 30.

Details: Aug. 8-27, Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. $55-$69. 941-351-8000, asolorep.org.

This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Asolo Conservatory stages a film noir classic with a difference."