Girl on a Train – Churchill Theatre, Bromley 18.03.2025
After a lovely holiday away it was great to be return to the Churchill for a mum night off and best yet a chance to view a gripping piece of theatre.
Rachel Watson is an ordinary women, who is desperate for another life. Her only escape is the perfect couple she watches through the train window every day, who are happy and in love. Or so she believes. When Rachel learns that the woman she’s been secretly watching has suddenly disappeared, she finds herself as not only a witness but a suspect too in a thrilling mystery in which she will face bigger revelations than she could ever have anticipated.
Adapted from Paula Hawkins’ international best selling novel, Loveday Igram directs this well loved thriller adapted by Rachel Wagstaff & Duncan Abel. Having previously seen the production, in 2019 I was looking forward to seeing what a fresh set of eyes and cast had in this time. Following seeing the production, it pulled me into finally reading the novel during lockdown- which I thoroughly enjoyed. But even after a few years, my memory was a bit hazy and it was great to view it once again as I followed the story which was slowly coming back to me. But for those that are fresh to the story, it truly draws you in from the very beginning, the performance flowed and kept the tension building until the final scene – they adapted the novel beautifully that it is by far one of the best adaptions from book to stage I have seen! A big difference was the set design created by Adam Wiltshire, this time round being a lot more limited and simplistic on stage to the previous production. I will be honest in saying that I did prefer the more dynamic stage where they clearly displayed the locations clearly rather than relying on limited props that reflected where they were – a mattress on the floor for Rachel’s apartment or a drinks cart for Scott’s place. It just seemed a bit dull and although it did allow you to focus on the acting, it was just visually disappointing.
Giovanna Fletcher, shows her full abilities as an actress in the role of Rachel, a broken women who wants to rebuild but finds herself repeatedly at an bottom of a bottle to escape. Giovanna excels through all the emotions Rachel faces and how she grows as she discovers missing elements to the disappearance of Megan, she was mesmerising to watch with the audience behind her throughout. Natalie Dunne’s portrayal of Megan had me close to tears during most of her scenes, her whole body displayed every word she meant with true feeling and hurt. Although she had limited stage time than that of Rachel, she really made an impact.
Partnering the strong female cast, was Samuel Collings as Scott Hipwell. His performance was strong from the start, showing the emotions of a broken husband when his wife goes missing, but yet has some secrets to hold. His character build up was excellently displayed along with his relationship with Giovanna, which they both worked perfectly on stage. Paul McEwan shows a complete contrast to the other male characters, although very strong and driven as many of us know detectives can be, be also uplifted a few moments with a few light hearted humour with Giovanna to help release the tension during the story.
Whether you have read the book or seen the film, seeing the play will still have you coming away transfixed and impressed. It is now on my reading list to see how it differs and ill be interested to find out as to which I prefer at the end.
Playing at the Churchill Theatre until Saturday 22nd January, for all ticket information go here. It will then continue on its final weeks on its current UK tour, for all dates and venues head to their website here. Please be aware that Giovanna is only playing in the role until 29th March, when it will then be taken over by Eastenders, Louisa Lytton
