This charming production was truly a delight. A wonderful family-friendly show which delivers a sweet and gentle retelling of the classic tale.
Jolly good fun and just the ticket!
This version of The Railway Children was adapted and directed by Kate Stephenson, who has struck exactly the right tone with its nostalgically sugary dialogue, and the performance thereof. It’s a story full of innocence and well-meaning characters yet never dull (even for an adult), perhaps thanks to a combination of clever staging, a pacy script and a talented cast.
Our three ‘Railway Children’ are Peter (Oliver Byng), Phyllis (Clare Louise Roberts) and Bobbie (Katie Gourlay), who make convincing little’uns. Byng gives us an effortlessly endearing middle-child who likes to think he knows the order of things, and is always doing something fun to watch on stage. Roberts is the adorable youngest, and remains completely believable, never straying into ‘child-acting’ cliche. And Gourlay does a lovely job of portraying a young lady on the brink of adulthood, who struggles to come to terms with the complicated grownup world at the turn of the century.
These three are strongly supported by Emily Mahi’ai as their mother, Mary Jensik as Ruth and Perks, Tomás Barry as the Russian and Jim, and Jamie Richard-Stewart as the father and the nice man.
Mahi’ai, as the mother, demonstrates a suitably stiff upper lip in the face of her troubles, yet brings a lovely warmth to the character too as she keeps the family’s spirits up in uncertain times. Jensik made for a friendly porter at the train station with a cheerfulness that brightens the stage. Barry portrays the downtrodden Russian refugee with depth, creating a highly sympathetic figure. And Richard-Stewart is pitch-perfect as both the children’s beloved father, and the nice man who waves back to them from the train, giving the show a heart-warmingly benevolent tone.
The famous ‘train stopping’ scene was cleverly staged and gave a good sense of the magnitude of Bobbie’s bravery. To my surprise, this moment comes halfway through the story. I only vaguely recollect the films from my childhood, and had supposed this scene was the climax. Not so. There are more adventures to be had beside this which I had quite forgotten about!
Overall, this is a likeably vintage show, full of sweet moments which makes for great comfort-watching. Jolly good fun and just the ticket!
