★★★

“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.

QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

★★★★★

“A truly triumphant interpretation – poignant and powerful.”

When Pete Townshend wrote the rock opera “Quadrophenia”, released back in 1973, he felt that The Who, as a band, was ‘lost’ and that the whole process of recording the double album ‘helped us find our way’ (his words). The central character is partly a reflection of this, but also a brilliant description – and representation – of the mid 1960s as seen through the eyes of a young man searching for meaning in a world filled with disillusionment. It has become a rock opera, a film and a classical opera. Now, as a ballet over half a century later, it maintains its relevance without the slightest hint of modernising it aesthetically or culturally. We are fully immersed, not just in pure nostalgia, but also the sheer beauty of the performances, the backdrop and the cinematic orchestral arrangements of the music.

Opening with crashing waves against a solitary rock, we see Jimmy alone on the outcrop, swiftly joined by his four personalities who move like the waves – like sirens luring him into the waters below. But Jimmy chooses the route back to his dissatisfied life. Paris Fitzpatrick is extraordinary as the young mod, Jimmy, barely away from the vast stage for a second, leading us and the other dancers through the tempestuous twists of his journey. The performers need little guidance, however. Each one is a leader in their own right: the Tough Guy, the Romantic or the Hypocrite; the Godfather, the Ace Face, the Mod Girl, the Rocker. Or the shell-shocked parent. Directed by Rob Ashford, every step is meticulously clear while Yeastculture.org’s panoramic video projections seamlessly carry us from place to place on Christopher Oram’s simple yet fluid set.

Steeped in symbolism, the emotional impact is compelling. We are constantly distracted from intellectual appreciation. The characterisation is as integral as the virtuosity of the dancers. When Fitzpatrick’s Jimmy meets his childhood friend (Euan Garrett), now a Rocker, the couple’s inner conflicts are vividly evoked in every movement. Paul Roberts’ choreography throughout is at once original and recognisable, athletic and intimate, violent and tender. It refuses categorisation; ballet moves swaying into jazz, contemporary, a touch of street. The impurity is vital to Roberts’ telling of the story. Jimmy’s parents, and his relationship with them, only need a few dance steps to give us the full picture. Stuart Neal and Kate Tydman – as the father and mother – attract and repel in gorgeous tarantellas, erotic and violent, bleeding into the Father’s traumatic memories of WWII (a disturbing yet perfectly glorious ensemble routine).

And, of course, we have the love interest: Serena McCall’s Mod Girl, sassy and sexy, moving within and without the yearning reach of our ‘quadrophenic’ protagonist. The charismatic rival, the Ace Face, is a constant threat – a swaggering and commanding Dan Baines, while Matthew Ball’s rock star figure, the Godfather, is a stark reminder to Jimmy never to meet your idol. A self-deprecating moment deliberately referencing The Who’s status in the seventies that has survived intact to the present day. This attention to detail surfaces in waves of nostalgia, that some may not fully appreciate. You have to be a true Londoner to feel the full dewy-eyed force of designer Oram’s recreation of Soho’s ‘New Piccadilly Café’. Authenticity is a keyword here, which is certainly amplified by Paul Smith’s sharp costumes.

The driving force is the music, orchestrated by Rachel Fuller (and Martin Batchelar). Faithful to Townshend’s original rock numbers, Fuller has scored the music for a full symphony orchestra. The electric rock rhythms of guitars and bass occasionally burst through, but elsewhere the vocal melodies and guitar solos are searing violins, aching cellos, rich double-basses or horn sections. Entirely instrumental, you can still at times hear Roger Daltrey’s voice surfing the multi-layered melody lines. Like the dancing, it is grand but far from precious. With both you could just as easily be in the Albert Hall or the sweaty dark of Wardour Street’s Marquee Club. Another landmark sadly gone. “Quadrophenia” harks back to another time that some say is long dead, but this ballet drags it alive and kicking into the present. It resonates unmistakably without any concession to the twenty-first century. It doesn’t need it. The essence is all there – in the dance and in the music.

When ‘Quadrophenia’ was first released, Pete Townshend probably had no idea of its legacy. Although he has since stated that The Who ‘never recorded anything so ambitious or audacious again’. “Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet” is just as (maybe even more so) ambitious and audacious, even by today’s standards. A truly triumphant interpretation – poignant and powerful.

THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY

Richmond Theatre

★★★

“inventive, stylised and almost cinematic”

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:

THE TALENTED

THE TALENTED

THE TALENTED

QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

★★★★★

“A truly triumphant interpretation – poignant and powerful.”