Switzerland

The Talented Ms Logan

Downtown Abbey's Phyllis Logan plays famous writer Patricia Highsmith

Fresh from a much-lauded run at Bath's Theatre Royal, this neat thriller by Joanna Murray-Smith steps into the Ambassador's Theatre this November, bringing with it lead Phyllis Logan (Downtown Abbey, Lovejoy) who inhabits the role of celebrated novelist and creator of suave master manipulator Tom Ripley (of Talented Mr. fame), Patricia Highsmith. But the vitriolic Highsmith is about as far from the stylish world of Ripley, holed up in the Swiss Alps bemoaning her famous creation, and the world at large, through a fug of alcohol and cigarettes.

When a besuited young man (Edward Ridgeway) from her New York publishers comes knocking, begging her to publish one more Ripley tale, the bigoted writer and the mystery man begin an uneasy dance across a plot that could only come from the pages of a book, or could it? Sinister, deftly written and sharper than a pin head, this riveting new play is pitched as just the thing to keep those chilly winter nights even darker.

Originating in Australia in 2015, Switzerland enjoyed a highly praised run in Bath this summer where Logan's performance and director Lucy Bailey attracted effusive reviews from the press, with the Guardian and the Sunday Times marking it as one to watch.