Shown as part of the wonderful YouTube series 'The Shows Must Go On', this was a recording of a live theatre production at York's Theatre Royal of 'The Railway Children' adapted by Mike Kenny.
The acting was consistently good and the story told with simplistic passion - mixing audience narration vagariously with standard acting (observing the fourth wall). It was an odd mix, but once I had accustomed myself to it, it worked well and engaged the audience much more than just simply performing the story would have done. However, the star of this production was not an actor, but the set (Joanna Scotcher). York's theatre had been totally transformed and converted into a single rail track running the length of the building with platforms either side, which became the acting area, whilst the audience were seated in traverse formation. This worked exceptionally well, and the whole looked and felt authentic... and then a real life-size train came along the tracks! Forget Miss Saigon's helicopter, forget Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's car, this was amazing! Bet even more amazingly it didn't feel like a gimmick, it wasn't done to wow the audience (unlike the two aforementioned) it felt like an osmostic and integral part of the production. I also thought the way the tunnel and train passing through the tunnel was imagined absolutely excellent. Brilliant!
A truly ensemble cast with some lovely actors (I particularly enjoyed the characterful portrayals by Martin Barass, Laes Weaver and Michael Lambourne), the story remained true to at least the film - I haven't read the novel! - but despite the lively pace and always trying to keep things perhaps lighter than they easily could have been, the story still felt dated, outmoded and no longer relevant. Despite it being a family production, with lots of young people in the front rows, it failed to truly ignite on a contemporary level. It is a period piece and was reventerly treated as such by director Damian Cruden, which I enjoyed (I am in my 50s), but found nothing within the piece to engage youngsters of today. This is no criticism of the performance, but rather on the fact that the novel and the film should perhaps be consigned to history, unless a huge amount of modernising and contemporising were to take place.
There is also one other thing which, I know I am perhaps in a minority, and the practicalities of which are also disproportionately negative, but I do not like to see children being played by adults. It was made to work here since it was the three older teenagers telling the story of when they were younger, but nevertheless, when a whole group of children joined the cast in the second act, it looked and felt silly.
However, my personal preferences aside, this was an incredibly proficient and entertaining show with exceptionally high production values, and I truly did enjoy watching and emoting with The Railway Children online this weekend.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 21/12/20
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