On Wednesday we were invited to see "The Talented Mr Ripley" in Cheltenham, which is running until Saturday 13th September, before going on a UK Tour.
It stars Ed McVey as Tom Ripley, who is the main character in this show, he is incredibly talented as an actor and this comes across on stage really well and he really captures the audience in what comes across as a quite a quiet play, so no rustling the sweets/popcorn!
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. - taken from the Website.
The play has little action in it, but towards the end of the first act, there's a good fight scene that is acted very well and leaves the audience wanting to know more of what happens next (Queue the interval).
The acting is brilliant, although the scenes can appear slow and clumpy and slow to transition between each scene, and there is some confusing moments, where you do think some of it doesn't work that well, but you can see what they are trying to achieve.
Overall, its not a show I would rush back to see, but I am very glad we were invited to see it in Cheltenham and wish them all the best with the rest of the UK Tour, prior to the West End transfer, for more info, see: https://thetalentedmrripleyplay.com/#theshow