It’s always a challenge producing theatre of a work known mostly for its representation in other mediums. On top of actually putting on a production (which in of itself is a hard thing to do), questions about adaptation are always floated. How much do we take from this other rendition of the story? How different should we be from the source material? There’s a delicate balance between too much and too little deviation that all good adaptations must aim for, or otherwise drown in one end of the scale.

I’m pleased to report that what surfaced from Sydney Theatre Company’s ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’, for the most part, hits the good balance of an adaptation. Directed by Sarah Goodes and adapted by Joanna Murray-Smith, ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ follows an abridged and slightly altered version of Patricia Highsmith’s novel.

Tom Ripley (Will McDonald), the titular talent himself, is a young grifter looking to escape his mediocre life in New York City. When Ripley has a chance encounter with the prestigious Greenleaf family, he is sent to Italy on a mission to convince their charismatic heir, Dickie

Greenleaf (Raj Labade), to return home. However, upon arrival, Ripley is swept into Dickie and his girlfriend Marge Sherwood’s (Claude Scott-Mitchell) glamourous lives and begins obsessing over Dickie.

McDonald is an undeniable powerhouse as Ripley. Masterfully blending and blurring the character’s motivations into an intriguing biography of an undesired man. Invisible but charming; calculating and reckless; envious or possessive. McDonald inhabits each contradicting facet of Ripley in a standout, flexible performance. His dynamic with Labade is of specific note: the innocence and playfulness between Ripley and Dickie turned to disgust and animosity was as fun as it then became heartbreaking.

Director Goodes does a lot to bring these dynamics and performances to life visually. Ripley and Dickie’s dance under glittering tassels, a choreographed swing of umbrellas as Mongibello’s beaches are formed, Dickie’s train compartment pulled slowly away from a panicked Ripley. Goodes, and Set Designer Elizabeth Gadsby, draw on Brecht’s minimalistic, yet elegant approach to theatre for a direction that is nothing short of cheeky and colourful. At one point in the play, the walls literally close in on Ripley. Maybe Goodes is a little too cheeky and simple at times, but I definitely found it charming. Although the more filmic decisions, like the trope of Americans spicing their language up with some Italian, felt more out-of-place than it did charming.

That said, props for the colourful moments must also be given to the fantastic ensemble work and sound design. Movement Director Charmene Yap makes the ensemble feel like a part of the world themselves. They’re always on the fringes of Ripley’s story, imbuing the places we go to with so much more life. Assisting this are the jazzy sounds composed by Steve Francis and Madeleine Picard. It makes the world of Ripley feel busy and lively, but the shady undertone accompanying reminds us that something isn’t quite right: that Ripley’s story is fraudulent.

Truthfully, my hesitance with this production unfortunately comes from Murray-Smith’s script. While I appreciate how good a job she does in condensing 252 pages into a 2-hour performance, the result is that the script lacks a bit of punch. The first half is paced a bit too

fast and the second paced too slow. Though we get some great moments to breathe in the middle, the play doesn’t always strike the right impact.

Regardless of my reservations, I think ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ finds the middle ground it needs to be a good adaptation and good theatre. It’s not always a killer, but it is a fun time.

‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ is playing at the Roslyn Packer Theatre until September 28th.