There is never a dull moment in the Genesian Theatre’s new production, a revival of Arnold Riley’s THE GHOST TRAIN directed by Stephen Lloyd-Coombs. This show features plenty of twists and turn, a good quota of suspense and lots of light touches.
It’s 1923 and the evening mist draws in on an isolated train station in the British Midlands. A stalled locomotive, a missed connection, and an assorted collection of rail passengers find themselves stranded far from home.
The Station Master warns against it but the passengers decide to ignore his tale of supernatural danger and death. They settle in for the night hoping that the old story of a tragic wreck and a spectral train which roars through the junction will not disturb their rest…
I can imagine that director Stephen Lloyd-Coombs found it challenging to get the mix right between the comic almost farcical elements and the growing tension in the narrative. He mainly succeeds, My only quibble is that just sometimes the performances could have been pared back/toned down just a little.
Mark Langham impressed in two roles as the stocky, grim, imposing, ghost fearing Cornish Station Master and the mysterious, severe Herbert Price.
Lib Campbell does well in the two roles she has to play, playing the neurotic Miss Bourne who swigs a bit too much brandy in a very comic scene, and Herbert Price’s highly strung, chaotic daughter Julia. Campbell has a good turn as a Broadway babe late in the play.
In the best, juiciest role in the play Tristan Black shines as Teddie Deakin who is the stirrer in the group and always happy to put everyone off guard.
Elizabeth MacGregor plays the less than competent Doctor Sterling.
Kieran Foster and Nicole Weinberg convincingly play a newly wed couple, Charles and Peggy Murdoch, who just want to start enjoying their conjugal rights so much so they try and have a session in the station waiting room before someone comes in on them. the comic/farcical flourish.
In the alternative John Willis-Richards and Zoe Crawford play a bickering married couple, Richard and Elsie Winthrop. Richard wants to save the marriage but Elsie has decided it’s over and there’s no turning back.
Veteran Genesian sound designer Michael Schell’s soundscape is atmospheric and does well in cueing the audience to the upcoming action.
Ash Bell’s garbed the cast in period (1920’s) costume with plenty of detail as she did with her set design. There was one set for the whole play – the waiting room of Fal Vale station. Features of the set included a portrait of King George, candelabra, a chandelier, a wooden slatted bench with round slatted seating and bunker lights above the ticket counter. One of the cast described the waiting room adequately as being ‘cold, wet and disagreeable’.
Recommended, get yourself on this Ghost Train which will be running at the Genesian Theatre, 420 Kent street, city until the 28th October 2018. Performances are Saturdays at 7.30pm and Sundays at 4.30pm.