UK tour of The Talented Mr Ripley coming to Bristol Old Vic this November

The Crown’s Ed McVey and Eastenders alum and Strictly Come Dancing finalist Maisie Smith will star as Ripley and Marge respectively in the first ever UK tour of The Talented Mr Ripley, opening at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, on 4 September, before touring to Bristol Old Vic later this autumn from 3 - 8 November. 

Ed and Maisie will be starring in the roles until the end of 2025. Further casting to be announced.

2025 marks the 70^th anniversary of Patricia Highsmith’s iconic, gripping novel, the source material for the 2000 Oscar nominated film starring Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow, the 2024 Netflix adaptation starring Andrew Scott and the stage adaptation.

Ed McVey is best known for his debut performance as Prince William in The Crown (Netflix) starring alongside iconic actors such as Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce and Dominic West. Ed proved to be the standout star of the final series of the royal drama with Radio Times declaring “McVey is up to the challenge, proving to be a captivating screen presence and impressive at capturing the essence of the young prince”. Ed was nominated for his role in the show in the category of Outstanding Performance by an ensemble in a Drama Series at the 30^th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. His previous theatre work includes Camp Siegfried at The Old Vic.
 
Maisie Smith is an award-winning actress, best known for her beloved portrayal of Tiffany Butcher in BBC’s EastEnders. She made her screen debut as a young Queen Elizabeth in The Other Boleyn Girl, alongside Scarlett Johansson and Eddie Redmayne – the same year she first appeared in EastEnders. Her performance earned her accolades including ‘Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor’ at the British Soap Awards and ‘Best Young Actor’ at the Inside Soap Awards. In 2019, Maisie won Children in Need: Strictly Come Dancing Special with Kevin Clifton and went on to reach the final of Strictly Come Dancing in 2020, winning over audiences nationwide. She later toured with Strictly Presents: Keep Dancing in 2022. Maisie then starred as Fran in the UK tour of Strictly Ballroom The Musical, based on Baz Luhrmann’s award-winning film – a role that earned her a nomination for ‘Best Performer in a Musical’ at The Stage Debut Awards. In 2024, she played Chloe in the British gangster comedy Bermondsey Tales: The Fall of the Roman Empire. Most recently, she toured arenas across the UK and Europe as Beth in Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds – Spirit of Man Tour 2025.

Image - The Talented Mr Ripley

The Talented Mr Ripley is a The Faction production (Macbeth, Stephen Joseph Theatre; My Last Duchess, film commissioned by The Lowry) adapted and directed by Mark Leipacher (Mary Stuart, New Diorama, UK tour and international; A Midsummer Night's Dream, Wilton's Music Hall/Theatre Royal Bath Ustinov/UK tour).
 
"I never wanted to murder anyone.  It was necessary."
 
Step into a world of deception, desire, and deadly ambition.
 
Tom Ripley is a nobody – until he’s offered an unexpected opportunity: travel to Italy and bring home the wealthy and carefree Dickie Greenleaf. But as Tom is drawn into Dickie’s glittering world of privilege, his obsession takes a dark turn. What begins as an innocent invitation spirals into a web of lies, identity theft, and murder.
Set against the sun-drenched backdrop of 1950s Italy, this gripping stage adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley brings Patricia Highsmith’s iconic novel to life in a thrilling new production. With razor-sharp dialogue, psychological intensity, and a chillingly charismatic antihero, this is Ripley as you’ve never seen him before.
 
How far would you go to be someone else?
 
The Talented Mr Ripley is adapted and directed by Mark Leipacher (Mary Stuart, New Diorama, UK tour and international; A Midsummer Night's Dream, Wilton's Music Hall/Theatre Royal Bath Ustinov/UK tour), with set and costume design by Holly Piggott (Fleabag, Wyndham’s Theatre), associate set and costume design by Ellen Farrell, lighting design by Zeynep Kepekli (The Little Mermaid, Bristol Old Vic), sound design by Max Pappenheim (The Night of the Iguana, Noel Coward Theatre) and casting by Marc Frankum CDG (The Woman in Black, Fortune Theatre).
 
The Talented Mr Ripley is a The Faction production produced by Jack Maple (The Hunchback of Notre Dame in Concert, Prince Edward Theatre; Ride The Cyclone, Southwark Playhouse Elephant) and Thomas Hopkins (This Bitter Earth, Soho Theatre; A Song From Far Away, HOME Manchester & Hampstead Theatre; ROSE, The Ambassadors Theatre) with SAMS Entertainment (Tony Nominated Our Today, Tony Award winning Merrily We Roll Along), Carl Moellenberg (14 time Tony Award winner for Spring Awakening, Company and Merrily We Roll Along), Bryan McCaffrey (Broadway Tony Nominated Operation Mincemeat, John Proctor The Villain), Jana Robbins, Kohl Beck & Jonathan Kaldor, Melissa & Bradford Coolidge, Cason Crane & Dennis Trunfio.