As part of a recent ‘date night’ husband and I went to see The Talented Mr. Ripley at the Royal Theatre in Northampton and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Husband hadn’t seen the film version, so really had no idea what to expect at all, I have seen it and am a fan so had a faint knowledge of the storyline.
The Royal is a truly stunning theatre and I much prefer it to The Derngate, which is much larger, more modern and really rather impersonal.
The play version of The Talented Mr. Ripley by Phyllis Nagy is quite different to the movie, so don’t go expecting the same thing, but it is a very enjoyable and dark story of obsession and deceit.
The cast were all excellent, but there were two stand-out performances:
Sam Heughan played Richard Greenleaf, at a distance he bears more than a passing resemblance to Matt Damon, really stood out for his relaxed nature on stage. He made you feel comfortable when he came on stage, which I’ve not experienced from an actor before.
Kyle Soller did a stunning job as Tom Ripley, so much passion he stole every scene he was in. He managed to flit from each different personality with and had a great 1950′s look about him and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Definitely one to watch I should think.
Michelle Ryan played a rather main role in the play and apart from a very annoying fake laugh, did so very well.
If you get the chance to go and see, I would thoroughly recommend it.
