Plymouth Theatre Review

Family Friendly: 1/5
Easy to Follow: 5/5
Must See: 4/5

Title: The Girl on the Train
Venue: The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth
Date: 15th January 2025

‘The Tamaritans‘ production of ‘The Girl on the Train’ was full of touching performances, stellar direction and was entirely worth the watch. Best known for both a best selling novel and a popular film starring Emily Blunt, the company achieved a fantastic stage adaptation of this story and left audiences praising the work of both the cast and the creative team. The venue (The Drum in Theatre Royal Plymouth) was used with expertise; a particular highlight of the
staging was the use of the balcony overlooking the space, on which members of the cast would appear, making the narrative very easy to follow.
‘The Girl on the Train’, based on the novel by Paula Hawkins, is a dark story with heavy themes such as alcoholism, murder, domestic abuse and death of an infant, making this play a challenge that director Vince Sutton excelled in.

The set, designed by Hollie Acton and Niall Clinton, was minimal but incredibly effective. The four moving set pieces were highlighted by suitable decoration, transforming them into a train platform one scene and the inside of a house the next. This set, however, did prove to be difficult for the cast to move, and occasionally the transitions between scenes were clumsy. This was effectively distracted from by the fantastic sound design. ‘Rachel’s Playlist of Songs’, rave music highlighted in the programme, were used frequently to enhance the movement of the performers and set, and helped to maintain the audience’s engagement throughout the play. The naturalistic sound effects and dynamic lighting also aided the atmosphere.

The intense nature of the story was dealt with tactfully by Sutton, and the performances by the cast were incredibly sincere. The company as a whole started strong with a chilling performance of ‘Magpie’ by The Unthanks, and definitely improved as the story developed. A few performances were particularly standout: Anna North, portraying the principal role of Rachel Watson, showed a professional level of performance, taking on the complex character by demonstrating versatility and range in her acting. Her take on Rachel was original and brilliant. North’s scenes with Steve Baker’s character Detective Gaskill were generally superb, although the pacing of these moments was inconsistent, on occasion.

Alfred Hurst also gave an incredibly strong and emotional performance, silencing the audience with his fierce portrayal of Scott Hipwell. One of my personal highlights was the intense scene between Hurst and Ami Philpott, (playing Megan Hipwell ) she also delivered a poignant monologue in Act 2 with stunning emotion. Simon Hill as Kamal Abdic also delivered a notable performance; Hill spoke with clarity and his characterisation was of an especially high quality.
In the final scene, Rhea Preston shone as Anna Watson, although her performance was spectacular throughout. The concluding moments were also highlighted by Preston’s chemistry with her on-stage husband, Tom Watson (played by Matthew Becker). Becker’s performance
on the whole would have benefited from greater emotional range. The ensemble performances were also of a very high standard, they slipped into multiple roles throughout the play and demonstrated a fantastic range characters.
‘The Girl on the Train’ as a whole was a great success, and provoked the necessary emotions in such a challenging play. It captured the story of the principal characters beautifully; a massive
well done to everyone involved!

Review by Millie Partridge