Theatre REVIEW: The Talented Mr. Ripley - ★★★★★

Mix Up Theatre (Stewart)
Sep 19
3 min read

This electrifying new stage adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley brings Patricia Highsmith’s iconic psychological thriller to life like never before.

Step into a world of deception, desire, and deadly ambition.

Tom Ripley is a nobody – scraping by in New York, forging signatures, telling little white lies – until a chance encounter changes everything. When a wealthy stranger offers him an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to bring home his wayward son, Dickie Greenleaf, Tom leaps at the opportunity.

But in the sun-drenched glamour of 1950s Italy, surrounded by shimmering waters and whispered secrets, Tom is seduced by the life Dickie leads – the freedom, the wealth, the effortless charm. Fascination turns to obsession, and as his grip tightens on Dickie’s world, the lines between truth and deception begin to blur. What starts as an innocent opportunity spirals into a chilling game of lies, identity theft, and murder.

The ten-strong ensemble cast is led by Ed McVey (The Crown) as Tom Ripley, Bruce Herbelin-Earle from Netflix’s Free Rein is Dickie Greenleaf and EastEnders regular and Strictly Come Dancing finalist Maisie Smith stars as Marge Sherwood.

This electrifying new stage adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley brings Patricia Highsmith’s iconic psychological thriller, which inspired the acclaimed movie and Netflix series, to life like never before. With razor-sharp dialogue, simmering tension, and a dangerously charismatic antihero, this gripping production will pull you into Ripley’s intoxicating world—where nothing is quite as it seems.

Where?

Festival Theatre, Edinburgh - until 20th September - Part of UK Tour

WEBSITE

Olivia (Age 13) - ★★★★★

"The storyline is fairly easy to follow, and they make it simple to know which characters to focus on when so that you're never confused!

Mr. Ripley has conversation with the audience as well as characters and sometimes it overlaps which is a brilliant idea.

And the way he plays a different character while playing himself is truly amazing.

The actors clearly put a lot of effort into this show and it 100% pays off, the lighting, speech and scripts are so wonderfully put together, I would definitely recommend this show for anyone who loves mystery and a wants a plot twist filled show that keeps them guessing right untill the end!

I loved how they easily transition from scenes and there's always someone on stage preforming while the rest are setting up for the next scene so your never once bored.

The repetition was also very well done, A few of the same sentences were used throughout the show and it made you remember the last time they used it and how it linked to the current scene.

This amazing show is definitely 5 stars!"

Archie (Age 12) - ★★★★

"Was a show about a man called Mr. Ripley, who meets his old friend, Mr. Greenleaf and drives to kill him and pretend to be him. I enjoyed the performance of the actors and the lighting showed different locations. Because of how complicated this show was the sets weren’t as intricate as they could’ve been to make you focus more on what was going on with the dialogue. There were several people playing many different characters, except mr. Ripley."

Stewart - ★★★★★

"A mesmerizing psychological thriller in this adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel. The stylistic elements of the show really delve into the psyche of the neurotic slightly unhinged lead character with perfect use of lighting, staging, sound effects and the ensemble. It may not be to all tastes, as it certainly leans into a more surreal version of the story. I would have perhaps liked a bit more of a musical score underlying the performance to add a bit of variety but perhaps a very minor quibble.

The cast is fabulous, and Ed McVey is astonishing in the role of Tom Ripley and really explores the paranoia and anxiety of the character in this take on the character. He barely has time to catch his breath throughout the performance so it’s quite the tour-de-force.

I was a big fan of the Matt Damon film version, so I was a bit worried this stage adaptation of the novel was going to be a bit of a misfire but it’s one of the finest, classiest pieces of intense theatre I’ve seen."