Memory plays tricks on us, and so do other people – that’s the theme of this clever thriller adaptation.
Based on the novel by Paula Hawkins, the touring stage adaptation by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel makes some tweaks to the story – though it keeps the UK setting that got switched for the US in the 2016 film version.
Rachel (played by Giovanna Fletcher) has seen her life collapse into a drunken mess, the only solace being the ability to spy on and fantasise about the life of a couple that live down the street from her ex husband Tom (Jason Merrells) and his new partner Anna (Zena Carswell).
The perfect couple’s life is not so simple, however, and Scott (Samuel Collings) comes under suspicion when Megan (Natalie Dunne) goes missing, with her therapist (Daniel Burke) also in the sights of Det Insp Gaskill (Paul McEwan)
Fletcher makes a decent fist of portraying Rachel’s increasingly erratic behaviour, although the dark humour between her and Gaskill feels more deliberately comedic than the stuff of the gallows.
None of the cast bring a fantastic amount of depth to their performances, with the – admittedly inventive – plot driving the action rather than character development. We are thrown straight into a chaotic version of Rachel’s life without the patina of respectability the novel gives her, and the welcome Megan’s husband and her therapist afford her is unexplained by anything we see on stage.
Most of all Rachel’s final epiphany seemingly comes from nowhere. Something somewhere suddenly falls into place, but the script doesn’t give us any clues as to why or how.
Dan Light’s video design makes atmospheric use of abstract projection with lashing rain and rolling media blitzes, but Loveday Ingram’s direction doesn’t fully embrace them. The blocking feels awkward on the largely empty stage, with cavernous gaps between actors and an apologetic half dozen pieces of physical set feeling completely alien. The production mostly looks good, but misses the chance to dazzle.
The strength of the original story means this is still an enjoyable watch, but it’s a standard rather than first class ticket.
- The Girl On The Train continues at Norwich Theatre Royal until Saturday, 8 February 2025.
