Review: THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN at Upstairs at the Gatehouse until 3 July 2022

Heather Jeffery • Jun 12, 2022



‘Classy thriller with an exciting denouement and a satisfying conclusion’ ★★★★★ 

 

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is a thriller based on the bestselling novel by Paula Hawkins and blockbuster DreamWorks film.  This newly revised stage adaption by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel, brings the story into sharp focus with a visceral edge.

 

It dramatizes the story of Rachel Watson, who turns people’s detective after her life spirals out of control. Based on her daily train journey she has been fantasising about the lives of a couple, Megan and Scott, whom she has observed on their veranda, seeing their lives as the perfect antidote to her own shattered dreams.  They live two doors down from her old home where her x-husband, Tom, lives with his new wife, Anna.  When Megan suddenly goes missing, Rachel believes she has observed something that will help to find the woman. With this beginning she continues to reel in the threads to solve the mystery.  Whilst the detective on the case believes she is a voyeuristic nosy parker; her voyage of discovery is her road to getting back to herself.   

 

The plays twists and turns will require the full concentration of anyone new to the story. For those of us who have read the book and seen the film, it absolutely delivers, with a truly fascinating second act, exciting denouement and a satisfying conclusion to the play. 

 

The space at Upstairs at the Gatehouse is the perfect playing size for the cast of seven. Often used in traverse because of its generous length, here, it is used extremely well to give the impression of travel, railways and being on a train.    In contrast the well thought out set by Richard Cooper, lends itself to the three residences: our protagonist Rachel; the home of Megan and Scott, and also Rachel’s former home (the home of Anna and Tom).  The bottles of booze strewn all over the set is a constant reminder that Rachel is seeing life through the haze of addiction.  This is crucial to the plot.  As Rachel starts her recovery from alcohol, she begins to remember past events with more clarity.

 

Katie Ray gives a savvy performance as Rachel Watson, making her a likeable character so that it’s easy to route for her. The entire cast is well chosen and delivers an almost immaculate performance. There were a couple of points during the performance when the low voices, film noir style, were difficult to hear (at the back in the executive seats). A mention here for Cavin Cornwall as D.I. Gaskill who gave his detective a personality rather than playing a detective type. He was likeable, ironic and astute.

 

Finally, praise for the director Joseph Hodges who somehow contrived to make the extremely complex story and its multiple settings clear. Added to this the work was well paced, and had an overall distinctive artistic style, elegant, classy and understated.  

 

Production images by Kevin Ralph.

 

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN

Upstairs at the Gatehouse

8 June - 3 July 2022

Box office:

Phone 020 8340 3488

Online www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com.

 

Cast:

Katie Ray as Rachel Watson

Tori Hargreaves as Anna Watson

Chrystine Symone as Megan Hipwell

Cavin Cornwall as D.I. Gaskill

Scott Hume as Scott Hipwell

Kirk Smith as Kamal Abdic

Tom Gordon as Tom Watson

 

Creatives:

Directed by Joseph Hodges

Set design by Richard Cooper

Lighting design by Seb Blaber

Sound design by Sam Glossop

Casting by Jay Gardner

Produced by Gardner Hodges Entertainment.

 

You can find ‘The Girl on the Train’ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @GirlonTrainUK


Reviewed by Heather Jeffery

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