Psychological thriller The Talented Mr Ripley will be staged at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking from October 6 to 11.

It is based on a 1955 novel by Patricia Highsmith, and writer and director Mark Leipacher is going back to the story's roots.

He said: "It's very much the novel on stage and anyone who comes along is in for an edge of the seat ride.

“Previous adaptations have made various changes, but what we're doing is honouring the origins of the character, which will please people who know and love the book.

“For those people who are coming to it fresh, they'll find themselves in the company of an incredibly fascinating and captivating anti-hero."

Said anti-hero is Tom Ripley, asked to travel to Italy and bring home wealthy and carefree Dickie Greenleaf.

What begins as an innocent invitation spirals into a web of lies, identity theft and murder in a story that asks: "How far would you go to be someone else?"

Mark said of the show: "It makes for an incredibly entertaining and thrilling evening. Patricia Highsmith wrote a thriller that's about travel, adventure and style, and those are all things that we're seeking to capture in the production."

Ed McVey - Prince William in The Crown - will play Tom, with Maisie Smith - Tiffany Butcher in EastEnders - as Marge.

Mark said: "They're both fantastic. Ed is incredibly talented and his facility for the technical requirements of the role is extraordinary because Ripley doesn't leave the stage except during the interval.

“And what's great about Maisie is that she really understands the character of Marge and what it means to have agency as a woman in the 1950s."

Ed said of Mark’s script: "I thought it was fantastic. The character and the story are so well known, so of course I had preconceived notions from the various adaptations. Then I read the script and it just popped, with so much energy to it and a fresh take."

Summing up Ripley, he added: "He is a product of his past. He had a very hard time growing up and hasn't been dealt all the best cards. He's someone who just wants a better life for himself, which I think many people can relate to."

Maisie said of Marge: "She's very smart, she's creative and I'd say she's intuitive too because she's probably one of the only people who suspects that Tom Ripley is twisted. Everyone else is completely involved in his lie, but Marge sees through it."

She agreed with Mark that Marge is far from a typical 1950s female character. "Absolutely. She's a very strong woman, she has her own house and she and Dickie aren't in a relationship as such, so she's an empowered woman, not just a 'wife' character or anything like that."

Maisie can’t wait to tread the boards in Woking: "I love touring. You form a real community with your castmates and it's always interesting to see how audiences in different areas react."

For tickets, priced from £15, visit www.atgtickets.com/woking