By Joanna Murray-Smith. Directed by Sarah Goodes.
This page to stage adaptation lounges in its decadence rather than immersing itself fully in Highsmith’s world that dissects wealth, class and privilege
Reviewed by Justin Clarke
Roslyn Packer Theatre, STC
Until 28th September, 2025
Tickets: https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/whats-on/productions/2025/the-talented-mr-ripley
Type: Book Adaptation, Crime & Thriller, Slow Burn
If you liked: Switzerland, On the Beach, Picnic at Hanging Rock
If anyone was going to bring Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley to life on the stage, it makes sense that it is to be Joanna Murray-Smith. After her gripping cat-and-mouse play featuring Highsmith herself in Switzerland, Murray-Smith now serves up a Sydney Theatre Company production in collaboration with director Sarah Goodes. Ripley is equal parts sun-drenched sophistication and slow-burn danger – a thriller that prefers to lounge beachside, rather than dive headfirst into the open water.
The jazz-soaked cafes of the Amalfi Coast is the playground for young grifter Tom Ripley (Will McDonald of Netflix’s Heartbreak High) after a chance encounter elevates him to a world few ever dream of. After being mistaken as a young friend of Dickie Greenleaf, Herbert Greenleaf (Andrew McFarlane), a shipping tycoon, hopes Tom is the one to bring his rambunctious son and heir back home to take up responsibilities for family and business.
Ripley does as you would expect a STC show to begin. An empty, cavernous set waits to be filled whilst a splashing of white floats on the backstage. Ripley enters through a door at the back, bathed from behind in white light whilst ominous orchestral sounds play. Lights fade up on McDonald’s young, charming face as he recounts verbosely how we’ve come to arrive at this point in time of his story. And the play commences in familiar theatrical territory.
The 1999 film starring the likes of Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwenyth Paltrow took in the glorious decadence of the Italian coastline, the sunlight and the Mediterranean sea breeze seeping through the lens. Whilst the most recent adaptation of Highsmith’s work, (Netflix’s Ripley starring Andrew Scott) ventures down the more noir version of criminality in Ripley’s story. In Goodes and Murray-Smith’s work, we fall somewhere in the middle of these.
At times, there is a scorching blaze of tangible thriller that is executed on stage before falling back into a monotony of familiar beats. There’s a sense of safety being played with Ripley that appeals as a checked box in a ‘by the book’ adaptation. Though there are stunning tableaux made throughout (a decadent chandelier dance sequence and Ripley’s first murder are works of art) ultimately there’s nothing truly gripping that you haven’t seen before that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat.
The many different suns that rise and fall over Ripley’s growing obsession with Dickie Greenleaf (Raj Labade – My Beautiful Career, Never Closer) are created by Damien Cooper’s lighting design. A pulley system of hefty LED’s are hoisted up and down, hidden in darkness on the sides of the stage which creates split shadows or under-lighting in moments of intensity, relaxation, or dread – though it feels restrained. Throughout, it’s Steve Francis’ consistent hum of jazz beats combined with Italian inflections that helps to propel the blood of the show through the veins of Murray-Smith’s script.
Ripley uses privilege as a weapon, turning the blade back on those in power who weild it like a toy…
Throughout, Ripley’s ability for imitation is slowly revealed, using his quick wit and cunning nature to isolate Dickie from his girlfriend Marge (Claude Scott-Mitchell – The Tempest) and obnoxious American confidante Freddie Miles (an immense STC debut from Faisal Hamza). With McDonald’s embodiment of Ripley feeling othered throughout the piece, he relies on the projected monologues to find semblance of strength over Ripley’s story.
This Ripley’s conman is neither a darkly suave version akin to Scott’s limited series take, nor is he as smooth talking as Dicaprio’s Frank Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can. Instead, this Ripley feels ultimately successful due to sheer dumb luck. We slowly see the growing weeds of obsession creep through Ripley towards Dickie in the homoerotic undertones dancing between his fascination with becoming Dickie. These moments are where the full-bodied nature of McDonald’s performance becomes clear cut, rather than the murderous ‘at any cost’ criminal that Ripley becomes fully realised into.
Surrounding McDonald’s performance (which sees him on stage for almost the entirety of the work) is an astonishing decadence of sets and props that beggars belief. Elizabeth Gadsby’s set design transforms from a once blank canvas, through to a temporary filled portrait with objects and furniture, before falling away to blank again. Throughout, this concept is washed, rinsed and repeated. We see Ripley reflected in Gadsby’s set design as his blank canvas embodiment desires fulfilment.
What I would give for a backstage tour to see the organisation of every prop and set piece that was required in Ripley. Now that’s a safe obsession to have at least.
In the end, Murray-Smith explores Dickie’s downfall and the pillaging of money from the elder Greenleaf through the guise of privilege. One scorching line, ironically spoken by Herbert, tells a warning to Tom Ripley about the dangers that privilege can befall oneself when not utilising its power carefully. Ripley uses privilege as a weapon, turning the blade back on those in power who weild it like a toy irregardless of those it slices through his path. You can’t help but wish for him not to be caught along his journey, and that reflects more on us and our innate obsession with criminal underdogs invading privileged society.
Theatre Thought: What classic piece of literature would you bring to the stage if you had the choice?
Cast and Creative Team
DIRECTOR Sarah Goodes
SET DESIGNER Elizabeth Gadsby
COSTUME DESIGNER Emma White
LIGHTING DESIGNER Damien Cooper
COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER Steve Francis
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS Tait de Lorenzo, Kenneth Moraleda
ASSOCIATE SOUND DESIGNER Madeleine Picard
MOVEMENT DIRECTOR Charmene Yap
FIGHT & SAFETY DIRECTOR Tim Dashwood
INTIMACY COORDINATOR Chloë Dallimore
VOICE & TEXT DIRECTOR Charmian Gradwell
FREDDIE MILES Faisal Hamza
DICKIE GREENLEAF Raj Labade
TOM RIPLEY Will McDonald
HERBERT GREENLEAF Andrew McFarlane
INSPECTOR ROLVERINI Johnny Nasser
MARGE SHERWOOD Claude Scott-Mitchell
