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The Talented Mr. Ripley

 
Paul T. Davies Review by Paul T. Davies 3 Published: 9 Apr 2026 Show Dates: 7 Apr 2026-11 Apr 2026

Still known to many through the Patricia Highsmith novel and the film adaptation, The Talented Mr. Ripley arrives at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, on its national tour.

A strong central performance, the beating heart of a deceptive mind.

A rich psychological thriller, Tom Ripley is sent by financier Mr. Greenleaf to persuade his son, Dicky, to come home from Italy, where he has been painting and idle for too long. A trail of lies and deception is created, and Tom murders Dickie. As the net closes in, we find ourselves silently rooting for our anti-hero, wondering how he can get away with it. It’s a stylish adaptation by Mark Lelpacher, but suffers too much from directorial conceits that feel unnecessary and go nowhere, and a pace that is quite leaden, especially in the first half.

However, it is held together by a strong lead performance by Ed McVey, always onstage, commanding attention through stillness, charm, occasional fits of paranoid intensity, and excellent psychological battling when he assumes the persona and life of Dicky Greenleaf. As Greenleaf, Bruce Herebelin-Earle drips with privilege, exuding confidence and arrogance, his ease making Ripley yearn to live that life of luxury.

However, their friendship evolves very quickly, and we get no sense of trust between them. Maisie Smith does well with the thankless part of Marge Sherwood, the love interest, but she does bring some grit to the second half, though the character could have been feistier.

The ensemble works well, delivering the minor characters effectively, but the narrative is often interrupted by a meta-theatre device of the actors shouting “Cut”, and rearranging scenes and furniture. This is, presumably, to show that we shouldn’t trust anything Ripley says, but it is never developed enough to become interesting, mainly being irritating.

As in many adaptations, the first half suffers from exposition overload, and the second half fares better as tension rises, but even then, it feels overplayed, the ending taking some time to arrive. However, there are many flourishes of movement that delight, not least a scene in Venice where masks become pigeons, and Holly Pigott’s set allows gorgeous flow and movement of the company.

Despite its shortcomings, McVey’s performance as Ripley deserves to be seen, the beating heart of a deceptive mind.

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The Blurb:

“I never wanted to murder anyone. It was necessary.”

Step into a world of deception, desire, and deadly ambition. How far would you go to become someone else?

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 as Tom Ripley. Ed was one of the stars of the hit Netflix show The Crown. EastEnders regular and Strictly Come Dancing finalist Maisie Smith will star alongside him as Marge. 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 of the same name, 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.