Writer: Mark Leipacher, adapted from the novel by Patricia Highsmith
Director: Mark Leipacher
Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr Ripley became so popular that she continued the story of her psychopathic conman antihero into three more books. It is the original, though, that has remained by far more popular, with Anthony Minghella’s 1999 film and last year’s Netflix adaptation helping to continue its prominence in popular culture.
The Faction’s bold stage version first debuted in 2015 and is now revived at the start of a UK tour. Adapter/director Mark Leipacher’s world positions us entirely in the mindset of Tom Ripley (Ed McVey), who is commissioned by shipping magnate Herbert Greenleaf to travel to the Neapolitan town of Mongibello to persuade his son, Bruce Herbelin-Earle’s Dickie, to return to America.
From the outset, we are shown that Ripley makes things up on the spot – if he has ever even met Dickie before, he is certainly not the great friend he persuades Herbert that he is. Wry asides to the audience paint the deception too thickly at times. Combined with the impressionistic staging, which is both stylish and emotionless, the novel’s propulsive narrative tone is replaced by a leaden portrayal on stage.
The pace does improve once Ripley finally arrives in Mongibello and meets both Dickie and his on-off girlfriend Marge (Maisie Smith making the most of a thankless role). McVey’s nervy, nasal Ripley inveigles his way in and finds himself attracted to, yet also appalled by, Dickie and his lifestyle. Discussions about the character’s sexuality ensue, although the debate of whether Tom is queer or not would carry greater weight if Ripley’s yearning felt a little more genuine rather than just another story beat the adaptation needs to get through.
The drawn-out pace of Act I is explained by the positioning of Tom’s first true act of violence as the moment on which to bring down the curtain for an interval. This means that the better part of the novel, and indeed the play, drives a more satisfying second act.
The Faction’s ensemble techniques, combined with how Holly Pigott’s minimalist set allows for ingenious entrances and exits, help to bring that much-needed sense of danger as Tom traverses Europe, posing as Dickie when he can and improvising his way out of near misses. One particularly effective moment sees McVey and Herbelin-Earle double up as the same character, driving home how good he is at channelling everything he has picked up and turning it into mimicry.
Anybody expecting a straightforward version of a 26-year-old movie – the version of Tom Ripley that most people think of is, and forever will be, Matt Damon’s – will be disappointed. Leipacher’s adaptation for The Faction is much more theatrical, creating a stage piece that is far more inventive than many productions based on a well-known brand or IP.
But Patricia Highsmith was a genius at mixing cynical characters with a sense of mystery and, above all, pace. It is that mix that The Talented Mr Ripley struggles with on stage. Tom Ripley’s adventures are propulsive yarns in print; here, they have feet or treacle.
Runs until 15 November 2025
