The Ghost Train

An old favourite among playgoers “The Ghost Train” came up fresh and new when performed by Fellowship Players.  Although adhering to the original story, first produced in 1925, the play was well cast.  An excellent atmospheric set of the station waiting room in South Cornwall during the night set the scene for the drama to unfold. Sound and lighting effects matched the drama unfolding on the stage.

When the train was forced to stop because a passenger pulled the communication cord, it discharged its passengers at a remote railway station in the late evening, and the disgruntled group entered the waiting room for what they thought would be a short delay until their train arrived. They were a mixed bag of people. The estranged married couple Elsie and Richard Winthrop (Rachel Holmes and Sam Evans), the newlyweds (Charles and Peggy Murdock (Rod Bissett and Mary Jo Escano) Miss Bourne (Anne Chamberlain) the old spinster lady with the bird cage and Teddie Deakin (Dominic Holmes) the typical “silly oaf” who lost his hat when he had his head out of the train window. Stationmaster Saul Hodgkin (Ray Lawrence) was determined they should not occupy the waiting room and tried every trick in the book to move them, especially with stories of murder and the ghost train. Everyone blamed Teddie for the uncomfortable situation they were in and gradually their lives unfolded as they tried to pass the time. Doors banged, lights went off and on, thunder, lightning, shadows at the window, all the things you could imagine to make people scared and with no logical explanation for these happenings. Even the arrival of a runaway girl Julia (Stephanie Evans) and the Doctor (Dave Brown) and Herbert (Dale Roberts) added to the mystery. In the midst of all this mayhem Miss Bourne gets herself very nicely drunk and is put to sleep it off on the table. A good performance as the drunken old lady from Anne and I am sure a very uncomfortable time lying on the table for at least half of the play.  

Eventually all is revealed. The real purpose is arms smuggling and the scary stories have been devised to keep the locals away from the station while this is happening. Teddie is revealed as an upright Spycatcher. All the baddies are arrested and all ends happily.

Good casting with actors well secure in their lines. A full house audience were carried along with the action on stage and showed their appreciation in the time honoured way.An enjoyable evening and congratulations for such a good production in a school venue instead of their usual one at The Grange Playhouse.

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