‘Intense and powerful’: The Girl On The Train pulls into The Alexandra Theatre - review

The chilling performance of the Girl On The Train tells the tale of murder, betrayal and abuse. Throw in an alcoholic protagonist and there you have it, a best-selling novel live on stage at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre.

Samantha Womack’s captivating portrayal of Rachel Watson was bold yet comedic, often lifting the heavy storyline with the character’s drunken slurs.

The nine-member cast reflected Paula Hawkins’ 2015 novel meticulously, in fact rather impressively, with Coronation star Oliver Farnworth (Scott Hipwell) joining fellow soap star Samantha in delivering powerful performances.

The show tells the story of a divorced alcoholic who is obsessed with her cheating ex-husband and new wife. She becomes involved in a murder case involving a woman near a railway track, and becomes engrossed in unravelling mystery that just keeps getting more and more convoluted.

Tension ran wonderfully throughout the play, illustrated not only by the fierce acting but pulled together by dramatic lighting, staging and costumes.

Dynamic lighting added to the taut atmosphere with a contrast of harsh, bright light insinuating impending death and warm orange light during mellowed scenes.

Although seemingly uneasy to achieve, flashbacks of the three women and their intertwined lives were executed brilliantly with the use of clever scenery and monologues, creating a build-up of suspense and encouraging the story to progress.

The interesting idea for staging the moving train was visually effective while added sound effects and flickering lights created an eerie mood, perfectly mirroring the feel of the story line.

The murder thriller left the audience silenced during thundering arguments that bellowed across the stage, heightening the atmosphere before reaching the climax in the final scene.

The mystery unfolded as each character was questioned and tested, both by the law and on their moral principles. High emotion was consistent with problems arising throughout the developing stories of each character.

The whodunit styled display followed that of Agatha Christie, whose novels have successfully made theatrical history.

Who doesn’t love a good mystery, and it’s even better when the puzzle gets solved?

The performance received a standing ovation from some members of the audience and definitely deserves a score that’s off the rails.

The Girl on the Train runs at the Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre until Saturday, August 31.

Review by Georgina Cutler