The Girl On The Train

The Girl on the Train     Broughton Astley Drama Society (BADS)     October 2025

The Girl on The Train is a well-known novel and film. Its adaptation as a play first appeared in 2018. The stage version uses minimalist set, which gives potential to heighten the drama’s dramatic and psychological impact.

One invariably expects something special from BADS, and this production was no exception. The tension, while in scale varying appropriately with the individual scenes and situations, was maintained throughout, and the mystery sustained to the very end.

I, for one, was kept guessing right until the final denouement. But no spoilers here.

Direction and staging

This was an absorbing, tense and most memorable production. Even by BADS high standards, it was impressive theatre and another excellent example of Director Jen Hawkins ability to shape a group of talented actors into a polished team performance.

The play’s action, which covers a period of only a few months, opens in the backstreet surroundings of a train station, and varies between that area, the lead character’s bed-sit, the homes of two families, and a psychiatrist’s office. Scene changes were completed quickly and silently with the aid of four extremely effective screens moved with choreographed precision by unseen cast members. Director Jen’s imaginative lighting and set design contributed effectively to the dramatic impact of the experience.

Congratulations also to Stage Manager Martyn Plant, his Deputy Zoe Stokes, and their team for the stage management, sound and lighting control which gave the drama its essential atmosphere.

The characters

The story’s central character is of course ‘The Girl’ herself, Rachel, played here by BADS regular Claire Simpson. I could easily run out of superlatives in describing Claire’s performance. It was simply breathtaking. Onstage throughout, she encapsulated and personified the dramatic tension that we, the audience, felt for the whole evening. The character’s own dilemmas, her problems, personal convictions and self-doubts, and her determination to get to the truth were communicated so that we felt part of her personal journey.

A strong central character needs the support of a strong cast. There were no weaknesses here. John Moulding played the part of Rachel’s ex-husband Tom, apparently trying hard to remain loyal to his former partner while at the same time building his new family life. John was convincing as the sincere family man with believable sympathy and concerns for his ex-wife.

Julie Adshead was John’s wife Anna, who for most of the play struggles to balance her dedication to her new-mother responsibilities, love for her husband, and frustration at the interruptions to family life caused by Rachel’s continual intrusions. Julie looked, sounded and acted most effectively the part of the respectable and responsible wife feeling threatened by constant reminders of her husband’s past relationship.

The apparently loving couple Rachel saw from the window of her train are Scott and Megan. At this stage in the story, these two are no longer together and a central theme is Rachel’s determination to explain Megan’s disappearance. The part of Megan, who actually appears frequently in both flashback and memories, is played by Becky Orton. Becky, moving across or around the stage with an almost ethereal lightness, portrays most effectively the damaged individual who, it transpires, has developed an approach to life which leads to the mystery Rachel is desperately trying to unravel. Dave Monk is a convincingly bewildered Scott, his well-acted moods varying between confused, affectionate, lonely and aggressive in his communications with Rachel, effectively confusing her, and the audience, with a range of facets to his personality.

In the role of Kamal, the psychiatrist who Rachel approaches in her search for information, Rich Tomlinson is every bit the detached consultant trying to balance his professional responsibilities to clients with his personal need for discretion. Rich  skilfully confuses the audience by suggesting both clinical professionalism and sinister undertones.

Gaskill, the police officer attempting to unravel the mysteries of both Megan’s disappearance and Claire’s motivations was played convincingly and with cool authority by Vicki Palmer. In her several appearances during the performance, Vicki’s character effectively supported the progress of the story.

An extremely strong cast, both individually and as a team, ably helped in small supporting roles by BADS players Kiri Hargreaves, Emma Laing and Chris Moore.

An excellent production, and another major credit to Director Jan Hawkins and the BADS team.

Colin Blackler

Noda  October 2025                                                                       © NODA CIO.  All rights reserved

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.