The Girl on the Train

Having enjoyed the novel and the film, I was very keen to find out how, director, Dawn Vigurs was going to stage this play, a murder mystery, and create the momentum of the moving train at The Grange Playhouse. Upon arrival, I met Dawn, and we talked about positive feedback on performances from various sources. Dawn applauded everyone, cast and crew who had made this the success she had hoped for, it had been her long ambition to direct it. And it was certainly a very well thought out, excellent piece of theatre I enjoyed.

The set design was simplistic in every one of the sixteen scenes, with minimal furnishings and a dark and moody ambience. The first scene is set in Rachel's bedsit, featuring a table with bottles of alcohol and two chairs. Rachel is shown pouring vodka into an opaque water bottle, introducing her as a lonely, troubled divorcee and an alcoholic.  Additional scenes introduced us to various characters' residences, as well as settings such as a therapist's office, a police station, an underpass, and a park bench. The starkness of the set design in each scene and curtains partially closed at times, allowed the flexibility to change locations quickly. The transitions between the scenes were remarkably seamless and swift. During the scene transitions, through the gap in the curtains, four wooden chairs were moved by individuals portraying 'train passengers' and placed in a line in front of the curtains. With additional ingenious use of lighting and digital technology, which ensured flashing projections of brilliant light and train tracks onto the curtain we were left in no doubt that Rachel was on a moving train.  These physical elements created an amazing theatrical experience and served to intensify plot. The projections of train tracks helped to show the changes in time and place but also reflected Rachel’s fragmented memories, with flickering red lights during her flashbacks. Stan Vigurs and Sam Evans deserve high praise for their technical expertise, skill, and insight. Their clever design, in collaboration with Dawn's precise direction, is commendable,  one of the most professional operations for an amateur stage I have seen.

The play is about Rachel Watson (played by Francesca Rees) who is struggling with her mental state; she has lost her job and her home. She struggles with depression, infertility and alcohol, following her divorce from Tom. She travels daily on a train through London suburbs and one day witnesses something shocking and she finds herself entangled into a mystery of a missing woman. On her train journey she avoids looking at her former home which she shared with Tom (Rod Bissett). Tom now lives there with his new wife, Anna (Helen Freebury) and their child, a baby. Rachel becomes fixated on a neighbouring residence with its resident couple, Scott (Gareth May) and Megan (Abby Leigh Simpson) presenting themselves as a very loving couple when Rachel sees them on their balcony.  Then, one day she glimpses Megan in the arms of another man, Ross Savekar (David Weller). When Megan is reported as missing, Rachel involves herself and decides to investigate her disappearance herself and presents herself to Scott as an old friend of Megan’s with this important information. Scott is distrusting and perturbed at Rachel’s intervention and presents himself as volatile. As time passes Scott, the husband, then becomes Detective Gaskell's (Jill Simkin) prime suspect, followed by Rachel herself and later, Megan’s secretive therapist, Ross Savekar, for it was he who had been seen on the balcony hugging Megan. In the second Act, as the play progressed Rachel begins to be more lucid, in terms of her alcohol intake, though in the first Act I did perceive her character was very much in control, for she didn’t slur her words or appear unkempt. I couldn't observe physical change but later in the play she was able to piece together what had happened the night Megan was murdered. She remembered that she saw Megan with Tom before she was struck on the head. It was revealed Tom and Megan were having an affair and after Megan told him she was pregnant with his child he killed her in a fit of anger, shouting that she’d be a terrible mother. Tom had always blamed Rachel for doing horrible things while she was drunk. She finally realised that her bruises and holes in the wall were not her doing but his. In one of the final powerful scenes at the end of the play we witness Tom physically attacking Rachel at the home he now shared with Anna.

 Each of the seven cast members was impressive and very credible, confident actors. Francesca who played Rachel, was rarely off stage. Her performance was outstanding as someone struggling with alcoholism and coping with confusion. Her diction was consistently clear even when she used soft tones in her voice as she tried to make sense of what she had seen. The final traumatic scenes Francesca played her role with Tom with great energy and authenticity. As Rachel’s ex-husband Tom, Rod Bissett initially appeared as a friendly and supportive figure. However, his dramatic outburst in later scenes showcased his versatility and provided the role with gravitas.  Gareth May presented the character of Scott believably and captured his character’s insecurity and unpredictability in his verbal outbursts and unsettled body language with some restlessness. Abby Leigh Simpson’s portrayal of the vulnerable Megan Hipwell was brilliant. Her lengthy monologues, when she appeared in the flashbacks were well-rehearsed and delivered with ease, her voice honeyed evoking empathy. She revealed intently how she had carried the trauma of having inadvertently killed her daughter and her aversion to motherhood and as she described this, the audience were gripped. Helen Freebury played Anna Watson the doting wife and new mother naturally though appropriately frantic in final scenes. David Weller portrayed the character of Ross Savekar, a therapist, in a controlled manner that suited the role, defending his relationship with Megan confidently. Jill Simkin portrayed Detective Inspector Gaskill with a relaxed and gentle style, reminiscent of the TV character Vera.

The play's dark and emotional scenes required a strong cast, which successfully delivered intense performances. Congratulations to the cast and crew for a marvellous performance.  It was an excellent interpretation of the play, with meticulous pacing and details, thanks to director Dawn Vigurs' vision and Stan's innovative lighting effects.

Thank you for inviting me.

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