The Railway Children

This adaptation of E. Nesbit’s enduringly popular children’s classic was brought to life in an endearingly entertaining fashion at the wonderful Pendle Hippodrome Theatre. This was an impressive production which adopted a thoughtful and intelligent approach to the material across the board and left a large audience fully entertained. It was a very hot evening (just the kind of night to be sitting in the garden with a cooling G&T or twelve) but it is a testament to the skills of everyone at PHTC that their production could entice so many people in to the theatre for a solid evening’s entertainment. 

The original text itself is a homely and old fashioned children’s’ favourite, given a mildly snarky theatrical interpretation via the new script in this instance. First of all, it’s worth mentioning that it was the staging, scenery and costumes which dominated the evening for me. A beautifully constructed stage vision confronted the audience at the opening and the staging throughout the evening was managed so very well. Director Helen Nelson and the stage crew (and the fantastic wardrobe team headed by Carol Cook) are to be commended in creating a wonderful theatrical vision which held the whole production together. The look and feel of the production was the ‘star of the show’ for me. Everything came together so well to create a great looking theatrical event. Really clever work which worked very well. 

The play itself demands much of its performers - and there is a need to nod in the direction of the ‘breaking the fourth wall’ aesthetic - as the leading characters carry most of the weight of the dialogue and stage time. The way the play is staged and how the atmosphere is conjured up are both intrinsic to the piece and are very important as to how the play is presented. The first of these was tremendous - the second, perhaps less so.

Let us turn to our main performers. The three main protagonists - Bobbie, Phyllis and Peter - were brought to life by Sophie Greenwood, Cathryn Osborne and Daniel Mason in fine style. They were lovely guides through the show from start to finish. Each of them understood the need to wink at the audience throughout the show (that’s what this play is all about) but I would have preferred a broader approach from all three. Sophie and Dan provided a solid presence on stage throughout the show - Cathryn’s opportunities for comic relief were well taken (apart from the odd lost line here and there) - but all three leading characters did a great job. It was a pleasure to follow their journey throughout the play.

Helen Spencer as Mother seemed to be in a different production altogether (as did Damian Marsh as Father) but nevertheless, they both added gravitas to the show. It was a weight which didn’t work for me when it came to the overall feel of the production but that isn’t to deny their input. The jolly feel of the show needed a cheeky sideways view from the elders, but mum and dad were more than a little too sternly played and rather too earnest to really fit the feel of the show. That’s not to say that Helen didn’t give a great performance - she did - it was just a performance which didn’t slot in with the overall thrust of the production. Most everyone in the theatre would be familiar with Lionel Jeffries’ 1970 film version of the book - from whence the play was taken - and as a valued cultural artefact, the play takes humorous pot-shots in this direction which an audience would respond to. This aspect of the play was only occasionally addressed which was a shame.

Looking after the station in fine style, Stevan Manley did a great job as Mr Perks and I admired his performance enormously. This role was perfectly considered and the wholesome underdog character was perfectly portrayed. Given that this production had at its core the fluffy feeling, ‘children’s book’ approach to the play, Stevan judged his performance really well - the downtrodden working class father with a heart - and earned the respect of the audience. The wonderful Fiona Thompson as Mrs Perks also did a lovely job and all the junior Perks provided a warm and homely feel to the production which rolled off the stage. 

Amy Braithwaite and Lynne Atkinson did sterling work as the servants and gave great performances which connected with the overall feel of the show. James Bateman as the Butler and Paul Thompson as the Doctor also fitted in perfectly with another two fine readings of their roles. I really enjoyed Alan Hargreaves as ‘Old Gentleman’ - here was a brilliant characterisation which was a refreshingly ‘old school’ reading of the character and really stood out for me - lovely work. His performance was clearly a cut above. Karl Pilkington provided solid support as the injured Jim (broken leg included!) and his recuperation in bed was well realised. 

I have to say that having Damian Marsh playing both Father and Mr Szezcpansky didn’t work for me: it was clearly obvious on stage that the same person was playing both parts and it skewed the narrative (I thought the plot had been tampered with and that Father was popping up to Yorkshire in disguise!) Surely the roster of talent available at the Hippodrome could have provided another face to perform the role…?

Overall, this was a beautifully earnest production which looked great and was put together really well. Personally, I would have preferred a much more tongue in cheek approach to the material - and would have enjoyed more flashes of humour and a more knowing approach overall - but the direction taken with this production worked well enough in its own terms. My thanks go to all at the Hippodrome for a very well mounted production and for making Craig and myself so very welcome. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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