The Talented Mr Ripley | Birmingham Rep

Mark Leipacher’s production of The Talented Mr Ripley at the Birmingham Rep avoids the usual romanticised glamour of Italy. Instead, Holly Pigott’s design offers a bare stage framed by horizontal and vertical strips of light that reveal the artifice of theatre. Scenes pause, reset, and replay like alternate film takes, reinforcing the idea of watching a story being constructed in front of us.

At the centre sits a stark white platform with a hole in the middle, used both creatively and comedically. Characters pop up and vanish through it, creating playful surprises that cut against the tension building elsewhere. With the Mediterranean backdrop stripped away, the spotlight stays firmly on Ripley and the complex web of lies he spins.

At the heart of the production is Ed McVey (The Crown), whose performance as Tom Ripley is both gripping and unsettlingly intimate. Acting as narrator as well as manipulator, he leads us through the story with restless energy. One moment Ripley is erratic and desperate; the next he slips into a dangerously convincing impression of Dickie Greenleaf. McVey moves between these states with ease, every pause and shift in tone revealing Ripley’s unstable nature and longing to be someone else.

Although Ripley dominates the stage, the supporting cast add important contrasts. Bruce Herbelin-Earle (Free Rein) gives Dickie Greenleaf an easy charm and carefree energy that explains Ripley’s fascination, while Maisie Smith (EastEnders, Strictly Come Dancing) brings warmth and intelligence to Marge Sherwood, grounding the play as its moral compass.

The ensemble also makes a striking contribution with their slow, ghost-like movements adding a mysterious quality. They heighten Ripley’s paranoia and give physical form to the sense of being constantly watched, amplifying the themes of surveillance and fractured identity.

The first half of the production is fast and compelling, drawing the audience steadily into Ripley’s lies. McVey’s performance makes the shift from charm to desperation clear, and the tension builds carefully. In the second half, however, the pacing slips. Ripley grows more frantic, but the production doesn’t always match his urgency. A quicker rhythm could have sharpened the suspense and reflected his reckless spirals. Even so, the clever use of pauses, resets, and re-framing keeps the drama engaging, reminding us this is as much about storytelling itself as it is about murder.

Birmingham Rep’s The Talented Mr Ripley is a fresh and unsettling adaptation that brings Highsmith’s novel back to its essentials. At its core is McVey’s electrifying performance, making Ripley both magnetic and unnerving. Though the second act loses some momentum, the production still offers a gripping exploration of identity, obsession, and storytelling. Inventive, unsettling, and at times darkly playful, it brings a new theatrical eye to a familiar story — one that lingers long after you leave the theatre.

The Talented Mr Ripley plays at the Birmingham Rep until Saturday 27th September before embarking on a UK Tour.

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★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Mark Senior