The Railway Children

For those who are unfamiliar with the plot, The Railway Children follows the journey of siblings Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis, whose lives are turned upside down when their father is taken away. They have to grapple with a new environment and a new life with less privilege. This adaptation by Mike Kenny is told in a semi-narrated fashion by the three children but is imaginatively brought to life showing their spirit of adventure and with a satisfyingly poignant ending.

The simple set gave a ‘feel’ of the various scene settings whether it be the London house, the country house or the country station, simply by a change of lighting and props, which were changed by members of the cast, this helped the play to move seamlessly from one scene to another. The realism of the scenes were mastered by a back projection of country scenes, a tree falling on to the railway track and what looked like a full size steam engine emerging from a tunnel – very impressive. Props and costumes were all excellent which really helped set the time as the turn of the twentieth century.

The nature of the play demanded that characters and relationships had to be established quickly and one had to be impressed by the chemistry between Bobbie (Megan Brown) Peter (James Barr) and Phyllis (Maddy Dunmore) each of them showed their vulnerability in different ways but the constant in their lives was their mother (Elizabeth McCreadie), who managed to convey the calm on the outside while underneath was the turmoil of keeping the family together. Bringing a jovial friendship to the children was Mr Perks, the stationmaster played with effortless affability by David Jones. Then, of course, is Patrick Michaels who was beguiling as the quietly heroic benefactor, the Old Gentleman.

Across the whole cast was some excellent acting and believable characters and of course the principles and minor principles were well supported by the ladies, gentlemen and children of the ensemble. Some might argue that the story is slightly old-fashioned in its idealised portrayal of childhood but, hey, I think we need a bit of escapism right now. This play demonstrates the importance of caring and being cared for, whatever problems life throws at us.

The Railway Children is a piece of magic and happiness, which has been brought to the Stag Theatre stage by director Sandra Barfield and her production team. Well done. 

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