The Railway Children

Following a very warm welcome, we entered Little Gransden Village Hall to find it had been transformed into a miniature Waterloo Station. This classic tale that The Revellers had chosen was written by Mike Kenny and it is the version written in a narrative form. The hall had been filled with all things trains, the FOH team all dressed as railway workers or lady passengers. Luggage left in neat heaps, videos of rail journeys and Oakworth station. The scenery was very well made and painted and with the platform and performing area running up the centre of the Hall. Scenic highlight was the entrance of the train from inside the shed and this just added to the whole experience.

The title gives us the main characters and what a trio this was Bobbie (Esme Johnson), Peter (Charlie Lake) and Phyllis (Ella Bonnett) delivering outstanding performances with good clear diction, reactive expressions and a pace that is essential to any good dramatic production. With the audience virtually in their faces they were never fazed and made this interaction, when having conversations with them, look positively easy. Bobbie making her move to adulthood gave us a full range of emotions and a naïve understanding of the real world that they had been thrust into. Peter becoming the man of the group and having to face up to problems with which he was unable to fully comprehend or deal with. Phyllis the baby of the children and trying to fit in with the others but showing an inability to cope with real issues. This is what we got from these three very talented performers.

Trying to control these three was their Mother (Philippa Watts) and a sterling job she made of it. Showing how this woman who was used to a comfortable existence was thrown into a world that she did not fully understand but by kindness, adaptability and humanity kept everything together. The confident air she exuded around the children and the kindness to strangers made us all like her and hoped that she would prevail. She ably managed to match the children in all aspects of this performance.

When the family arrive at Oakworth in Yorkshire they are greeted by the Station Master Mr Perks (Andy Lake) and it is he who has a major influence in their lives. This, too, was a very competent performance and it was played with sensitivity and emotion by this young actor. Even when he lost his temper with the children for his presents he demonstrated how proud this humble man was of everything he had achieved. Andy was also the director and as such should be very pleased with this production.

From this point on everything has to be in plurals as the rest of the company all played at least two parts.  

The other most prominent character in the story is the Old Gentleman who befriends the children and uses his influence to help them in any way he can. What a nice part to play and Rob Watson was real value for money. His leisurely delivery of the dialogue had a sort of calming feel and his love for the children was apparent. Rob had already been the butler in earlier scenes.

The children’s Father (Anthony Rhodes) although well played needed another part as he only appears at the beginning and end of the show. We see him most as Mr Szezcpansky the famous Russian literary who lives with the family for a short time. It is never easy to play a part where all the dialogue is in French, having earlier been in Russian, and although some of it was difficult to hear we knew what was meant by the actions.

All of the other children were played by George Ducker and what a solid performance he gave us whether as Jim, young Perks or part of the crowd.

The Doctor and A Railway Official (Francis Arthur) two completely different characters but each handled in exactly the right way. The kind village doctor and the slightly comical official illustrating the breadth of characterisation that Francis has in his repertoire.

If you have a Mr Perks then you need a Mrs Perks and Tamsyn Hadden gave us a true depiction of the country wife, down to earth but with a soft heart and like so many of the others we had already seen her as a maid. A personal thank-you to Tamsyn for her help, she knows why.

Mrs Viney (Gloria Sayer), who was also the cook in the earlier scenes, completes the cast line up and even though she is mentioned last this does not detract from her performance which made this play the excellent production it was.

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