Review: The Talented Mr Ripley UK and Ireland Tour at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin

The casting lives up to its talented name, but struggles to delivers an impact in terms of plot and story. ⭐⭐⭐

Ed McVey as Tom Ripley in THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY. Credit: Mark Senior.

I enjoy going to see theatre that is inspired by a novel or film sort of blind, to avoid comparison. I followed this formula with The Talented Mr. Ripley, based on the 1955 book by Patrica Highsmith and the 1999 film of the same name starring Matt Damon. I wondered if I had, would it have made a difference to my final thoughts.

I could follow the play just fine, a story of deceit, mistaken identity and murder, but I struggled to situate myself in Act 1. A question I was left asking was where was I and why do I care?

Maisie Smith as Marge Sherwood & Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Dickie Greenleaf in THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY, credit Mark Senior.

Director Mark Leipacher, who adapted the piece, struggles to grapple with squeezing everything into the opening scene. Fourth wall breaking, movement direction, characters morphing into childhood abuse characters is portrayed well, but becomes messy without giving the ground work to our central character. Act Two starts stronger, but falls victim to too much information in too little time.  I wonder if Leipacher adapted only and used another director, would these issues have been ironed out. It should be noted that Haruka Kuroda does a great job with fight and intimacy coaching, making quite believable moments of violence and lust.

Zeynep Kepeklis lighting design is impactful, but perhaps seems unfocused at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. There are moments where large LED ceiling bulbs are used, which are way too bright, leaving the audience audibly shrieking and covering their eyes. A couple of the scenes were unfocused which was disappointing.

Ed McVey as Tom Ripley in THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY, credit Mark Senior.

Where this play soars is its cast. Bruce Herbelin-Earle plays the suave Dickie with clever acting choices throughout. He works well opposite his scene partner Maisie Smith, who gives a confident and well acted performance as Marge. However, the star of the show is Ed McVey as Tom Ripley. Never leaving the stage, McVey presents aswell crafted character, displaying the inner turmoil Ripley. As one of the finest performances I have seen on a UK and Ireland tour, I look forward to seeing what McVey does next.

With strong performances, The Talented Mr Ripley has the ability to be a very strong production, but struggles to find its stride.

The Talented Mr. Ripley runs until the 14th of March. Tickets are available here.

Disclaimer: I was invited to attend this show in exchange of an honest review. My invite did not influence this review.