Victorian Thriller 'Fingersmith' Surprises At A.R.T.

The novel "Fingersmith" has all the hallmarks of a classic thriller: a pickpocket, a con man and a ploy to cheat a young heiress out of her fortune. But, as is slowly revealed, not everything is what it seems.

The Victorian mystery, originally written by author Sarah Waters, was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize in 2002 and made into a series for the BBC in 2005. Now, it's been faithfully adapted into a play for the American Repertory Theater.

The show follows an orphan pickpocket, a fingersmith, who poses as a maid to gain the trust of a wealthy heiress. Her job is to persuade the heiress to elope with a con man who plans to swindle her of her fortune, but it's not just the heiress who is seduced.

'Fingersmith' will be playing at the A.R.T. now through January 8, 2017.

Alexa Junge, playwright of "Fingersmith," now playing at the American Repertory Theater, which tweets @americanrep.