THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY

Richmond Theatre

★★★

“inventive, stylised and almost cinematic”

Imagine if you could live your life like a movie set, and you were the director. If things weren’t going quite the way you wanted, you could call “Cut!” and re-run the scene with the desired outcome. Tom Ripley has gained this advantageous gift in Mark Leipacher’s touring adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s “The Talented Mr Ripley”. It is a neat theatrical device applied to a character who lives, not just on his wits, but by the skin of his teeth. Unfortunately, though, it does chip away at the sympathy we are supposed to feel for this con artist and serial killer. The perverse beauty of Highsmith’s creation is that it is near impossible not to root for Tom Ripley, despite his psychotic tendencies. The emotional engagement is dampened which, in turn, undermines the suspense.

That said, Ed McVey is fascinating and charismatic as Tom Ripley. Overflowing with energy he is onstage throughout, commanding our attention and drawing us into his subterfuge by alternately addressing the audience before plunging back again into the thrilling story. Like unwitting accomplices, we tag along as his life spirals deeper into deception. Ripley is at a bit of a dead end, scraping by as a small time grifter until approached by shipping magnate Herbert Greenleaf (a cool Christopher Bianchi) who sets the wheels of Ripley’s adventures in motion. Herbert’s son, Dickie (Bruce Herbelin-Earle), is living it up in Italy showing no signs of coming home. Mistakenly believing Ripley to be a close friend of Dickie’s, Herbert offers him an all expenses paid trip to persuade the wayward son to return home. Eyeing a way out of the mess his life has become in America – and a free holiday – Ripley readily accepts. Thus begins his murderous journey.

It is a fast-paced journey, the sense of location created almost single handedly by Zeynep Kepekli’s lighting; a series of neon fluorescent tubes that transport us from the buzz of New York City nightlife to an Italian sunset, and into the depths of the Mediterranean Sea. The stark blackness of Holly Pigott’s set allows shadowy figures to prowl and watch from the sidelines, ever circling and closing in. The ensemble cast break away from the shadows to take on multiple supporting roles. But the focus is on Ripley and his ill-fated victims.

Herbelin-Earle, as Dickie, is refreshingly humble for a playboy of such privilege. Easy-going and relaxed, his voice is a touch more stilted however, as it searches for depth that isn’t really there. Maisie Smith, as Dickie’s frustrated girlfriend Marge, is down to earth, making good use of her underwritten role. Sometimes the secondary roles fare better. Cary Crankson steps out of the ensemble to play a convincing Freddie Miles, almost succeeding in tripping up and exposing Ripley before adding to the body count.

Leipacher’s production is inventive, stylised and almost cinematic. The first act flirts with film-noir while the second half homes in more on the plot twists as the pace quickens and the cat and mouse game gets in full swing, even if the suspense factor manages to escape the chase. Ripley spends a lot of the time thinking on the spot, making it up just so he can get out of his latest scrape. Leipacher’s “The Talented Mr Ripley” is quite the opposite. It is creatively and finely thought out from start to finish. Imaginative, clever, innovative and despite the theatrical trickery, respectfully faithful to Highsmith’s original.

THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY

Richmond Theatre then UK Tour continues

Reviewed on 10th November 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Mark Senior

Previously reviewed at this venue:

MIDSOMER MURDERS: THE KILLINGS AT BADGER’S DRIFT | ★★★★ | October 2025

DEATH ON THE NILE | ★★★★ | October 2025

THE 39 STEPS | ★★★★★ | April 2024

DRACULA | ★★★ | March 2022

THE TALENTED

★★★

“a tough piece to engage with”

‘The Wanderers’, directed by Igor Golyak, maps two different marriages within the Jewish experience: one, an Orthodox and very traditional family, and another – set pretty much now – a liberal, well-educated couple from Brooklyn. Abe, (Alex Forsyth) the protagonist, binds the two units together as the son of the former. He is a prolific and successful novelist who is heavily inspired by Philip Roth (a minor warning sign). He and his wife Sophie are both writers, but she has subdued her own (less successful) career to service her husband’s very successful one whilst she cares for the children. After one of his book readings, Abe begins an ethically dubious and emotionally charged email affair with famous actor, Julia (Anna Popplewell). But all is not as it seems.

It is the visual language and metaphor of this play which elevates it. The set (Jan Pappelbaum) features a transparent screen divides the stage horizontally. It is engaged with in a multitude of creative ways, holding much symbolic weight. Throughout the piece, different characters draw props and key words onto the screen. This is very striking: for example, a square becomes a laptop dividing two characters engaged in their email correspondence. This device also cleverly externalises Abe and Sophie’s writerly minds – a useful way of expressing rich interiority. Golyak’s visual landscape here is both attractive and idiosyncratic.

It does, however, work to compensate for the for subpar dialogue and plot. Given that ‘The Wanderers’ centres around two – supposedly excellent – writers, it’s hard to cognitively marry this with the demonstrably unimaginative dialogue and action. The characters, though well-acted, are uncompelling and lack charisma, which makes the whole piece a bit of a schlep.

The acting, to reiterate, is successful. Popplewell is lovely as famous actor, Julia. So too is Katerina Tannenbaum as beleaguered Esther, who spends most of her time drowning in the misery of marital misogyny and boredom. Paksie Vernon as Abe’s maligned wife works well and with integrity. Forsyth is also very watchable, even if his character, unlike his wife, lacks any discernible integrity. Part of the issue here derives from the fact that this show focuses on a sort of male fantasy, inspired by the Philip Roth imaginary. Personally, I feel that angle has been rinsed, and in the absence of nuanced comment to develop this discourse in any way, it flounders as the premise for a show.

It’s hard to pinpoint the purpose of this play: there are gestures towards inherited fictions and the traps of imagination, but these are not adequately developed. Besides the visual spectacle, aided by some excellent lighting (Alex Musgrave), it’s a tough piece to engage with. Not tough to grapple with conceptually, but tough to discern the concepts in the first place.

A big commendation should be noted though: majority of the cast and creative team are actually Jewish – a rarity in the field of representation. We should celebrate Jewish theatre, but I don’t know what the Jewishness in this play offered, or really what ‘The Wanderers’ was trying to offer as a piece of art.

Tag Archives: Mark Senior

THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY

★★★

UK Tour

THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY

Richmond Theatre

★★★

“inventive, stylised and almost cinematic”