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REVIEW
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
SAMANTHA WOMACK
STARS IN
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
​Palace Theatre, Westcliff on Sea
​18th - 23rd February 2019
​For the second time in just over a month, another nail-biting thriller set on board a train, arrives at the Palace Theatre and is playing to packed houses all week. 

Recently, we had Juliet Mills as a lady vanishing on a train in 1930's Austria. This time we have Samantha Womack in a very contemporary tale, The Girl On The Train. 

This new play is based on the highly successful  2015 novel by Paula Hawkins, which has already been adapted for the big screen. I was wondering, on entering the theatre last night, how a story involving flashbacks on a fast moving train would translate to the stage. What we have is a tense psychological thriller, where nothing is what it seems to be,  which gradually reveals the truth through a series of revelations, and  grips you from the very start.

To try and explain the plot without giving too much away, or indeed just to explain the story at all, is a challenge.  Rachel, a girl with a drink problem, is living in a fairly run down flat, where she is visited by her ex-husband. She is troubled by something she thinks she has seen from the train on her daily commute.  The train goes past the home she used to share with Tom, who is now with Anna. However, it is a young couple, Megan and Scott, living in the same block, who she often sees on their balcony as the train flashes past. They occupy her thoughts the most, to a point of obsession.  Megan has recently disappeared. (Oh yes, another vanishing lady...!) The whole premise of the play hinges on what Rachel THINKS she has seen, or has she?  She is an alcoholic and suffers blackouts, so how reliable can her memory be?

The play twists and turns and during the first half has a fairly confusing flashback timescale. It is not an easy one to follow by any means. You need to concentrate hard. However, during the second half, things become clearer, and it is very satisfying to  finally finding out what really happened on that  fateful Saturday night.

At the centre of the story Samantha Womack, as Rachel, puts in a real storming performance.  Looking tired and dishevelled, she is never off stage and is very convincing. She effortlessly takes us with her on her tense and scary journey, never over-doing it. She is always in control of her role. 

There is excellent support from Oliver Farnsworth as Scott, whose life is invaded by Rachel, after his wife has disappeared, and Adam Jackson-Smith as her ex- husband Tom.  I also much enjoyed John Dougall's dry-witted Taggart-like Detective Inspector Gaskill. A very charismatic performance.

It is also a challenge for the creative team to keep this tale moving, as slow set changes would slow down the momentum, but designer James Cotterill  has done a great job, aided by use of projections and excellent sound design too. We so often, as audience members, take these things for granted, but so much depends on lighting and sound to create the right mood.

There is an interesting article in the programme about the current popularity of thrillers, whether as novels, films or on stage as they provide great escapism. Due to the popularity of this very well known thriller, there are only gallery seats remaining for the rest of this week. Book now if you're lucky enough to get a seat! 

Review:  Andrew Walters
About the play/cast...
Samantha Womack stars in a new production of The Girl on the Train, a gripping thriller based on the internationally acclaimed number one best-selling novel by Paula Hawkins and the Dreamworks film.  The Girl on the Train begins a major tour of the UK & Ireland on 21 January 2019 in Milton Keynes. 

Samantha plays Rachel Watson who longs for a different life. Her only escape is the perfect couple she watches through the train window every day, happy and in love.  Or so it appears. When Rachel learns that the woman she’s been secretly watching has suddenly disappeared, she finds herself as a witness and even a suspect in a thrilling mystery in which she will face bigger revelations than she could ever have anticipated.  

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Samantha Womack has starred extensively in television, film and theatre.  She is best known for playing Ronnie Mitchell in BBC1’s EastEnders. Other television credits include leading roles in Mount Pleasant and the hugely popular Game On.  Her recent films include: Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Kingsman: The Secret Service alongside Colin Firth.  Samantha recently played Morticia in a tour of The Addams Family.

Samantha said:  "Having been thoroughly captivated by the novel, the opportunity to take on a role like this is incredibly exciting. I’ve been fascinated by thrillers for a long time and this kind of storytelling, like Hitchcock’s Rear Window, offers us a voyeurs journey into a world which is dangerous and full of suspense.”

Joining Samantha in the cast is Oliver Farnworth as Scott.  Best known for playing Andy Carver in Coronation Street, Oliver’s other TV credits include Mr Selfridge, The Royal and Hollyoaks.  Further casting is yet to be announced.

Paula Hawkins’ novel is an international phenomenon, selling over twenty million copies world-wide.  Produced by Simon Friend, Amblin Entertainment and Josh Andrews, The Girl on the Train is adapted by Rachel Wagstaff & Duncan Abel and is directed by Anthony Banks with designs by James Cotterill.  Further casting is yet to be announced.


www.storyhousepr.co.uk 


Southend, Palace Theatre            www.southendtheatres.org.uk  
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Girl on the Train Tour Schedule
Southend Palace Theatre            www.southendtheatres.org.uk/Online/about-palace-theatre                
18 – 23 February 2019                01702 351135.   

Leicester Curve                     www.curveonline.co.uk/tickets‎
4 – 9 March 2019                0116 242 3595

Liverpool Playhouse                www.everymanplayhouse.com/whats-on
11 – 16 March 2019                0151 709 4776

Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton        www.grandtheatre.co.uk/
18 – 23 March 2019                01902 429212

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh            www.capitaltheatres.com/your-visit/kings-theatre
25 – 30 March 2019                0131 529 6000

The Lowry, Salford                www.thelowry.com/
1 – 6 April 2019                    0843 208 6000

Theatre Royal, Bath                www.theatreroyal.org.uk/
8 – 13 April 2019                01225 448844
Theatre Royal, Glasgow                www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-glasgow/
15 – 20 April 2019                0844 871 7647

Royal & Derngate, Northampton        www.royalandderngate.co.uk
22 – 27 April 2019                01604 624811

Theatre Royal, Newcastle            www.theatreroyal.co.uk/
29 April – 4 May 2019                08448 11 21 21

Orchard Theatre, Dartford            www.orchardtheatre.co.uk/
6 – 11 May 2019                01322 220000
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Belgrade Theatre, Coventry            www.belgrade.co.uk/
13 – 18 May 2019                024 7655 3055

Theatre Royal, Nottingham             trch.co.uk/
20 – 25 May 2019                0115 989 5555

Shrewsbury Theatre Severn            www.theatresevern.co.uk/
27 May – 1 June 2019                01743 281281

Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin        www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie/
3 – 8 June 2019                    +353 (1) 677 7999

Grand Opera House, Belfast            www.goh.co.uk
10 – 15 June 2019                028 9024 1919 

Theatre Royal, Brighton                www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-brighton/
17 – 21 June 2019                0844 871 7615 

Sheffield Lyceum                 www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/
24 – 29 June 2019                0114 249 6000

Norwich Theatre Royal                www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk/
1 – 6 July 2019                    01603 63 00 00.  On sale from 9 November

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford        www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/
8 – 13 July 2019                    01483 440000

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