Switzerland at Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds ★★★★

Catherine Russell as Patricia Highsmith and Jamie Sayers as Edward Ridgeway. Photo by Fourth Wall Photography

An absorbing psychological thriller driven by two compelling performances and a strikingly atmospheric design.

In Joanna Murray-Smith’s Switzerland, fact and fiction intertwine in a darkly entertaining portrait of crime novelist Patricia Highsmith. Set in 1995, the play imagines an encounter between the reclusive author and a young publishing representative determined to secure one final Tom Ripley novel. What begins as a battle of wills gradually develops into something altogether more sinister.

Catherine Russell is magnetic as Highsmith, wielding caustic wit, cynicism and casual cruelty to frequently hilarious effect. Her formidable performance captures the writer’s notorious abrasiveness while revealing the psychological complexities beneath her forbidding exterior. Fleeting revelations of childhood trauma expose a vulnerability almost immediately buried beneath emotional detachment.

Jamie Sayers brings persuasive charm to Edward Ridgeway, a publishing representative whose polished salesmanship initially meets Highsmith’s relentless hostility. Beneath his calculated flattery lies a desperation to salvage his career. As their psychological sparring intensifies, Sayers subtly shifts from nervous deference to unnerving confidence. Their chemistry is electric, although occasional attempts to court laughter interrupt the dialogue’s otherwise natural rhythm.

Murray-Smith refuses to sanitise Highsmith’s documented prejudices. Racist, homophobic and antisemitic remarks provoke audible gasps, raising uncomfortable questions about an audience equally willing to laugh at her eccentricities.

Richard Kent’s extraordinary set resembles a villain’s subterranean fortress, its austere concrete walls and mounted weapons softened by domestic furnishings. A panoramic Alpine projection provides an imposing backdrop, while Sally Ferguson’s evocative lighting contrasts the fireplace’s inviting glow with the surrounding landscape’s icy isolation. Together, they create a compelling visual expression of Highsmith’s self-imposed exile.

Subtle costume transformations and imaginative video projections increasingly destabilise the distinction between psychological reality and invention, reflecting the characters’ shifting identities and motivations.

Under Owen Calvert-Lyons’ assured direction, these elements converge in a meticulously crafted production that understands the seductive power of storytelling. Like Highsmith’s own fiction, Switzerland invites its audience into an intricate game of manipulation, where appearances prove dangerously unreliable.

Switzerland runs at Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds from 13–24 October 2026.

https://theatreroyal.org/events/switzerland-thriller/