Review: The Girl on the Train at Lyceum Theatre

“If you only see one thriller on stage this year, make sure it’s this one…”

Review: The Girl on the Train by Erin Cressida Wilson, adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel, Lyceum Theatre

By Sophie Dodworth

The Girl on The Train was quite a cult read when it landed in bookshops. It was the book that everyone was reading at the time and if you were not reading it, then you probably had it stored on your ‘to read’ list’; maybe if you were not even fully interested, you just wanted to know what everybody else was talking about. The book was adapted for the stage in 2019, only four years after it was written by bestselling author Paula Hawkins.

The storyline does not disappoint, it is full of twists and turns, ups and downs, drama and scandal. Follow Rachel Watson (Giovanna Fletcher) as she commutes daily, witnessing her growing obsession of peeking into the lives of a couple she regularly catches glimpses of on her journey. Scott (Samuel Collings) and Megan (Natalie Dunne) become one of her ‘comforts’, in a somewhat solitary lifestyle. One day, Rachel sees something shocking unfold, in the garden of these strangers that have become almost like a saga series to her. Through this, Rachel gets involved with the authorities as witness to a murder, or is she actually a suspect?

Fletcher is probably most well-known as a children’s presenter that won I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here, or for theatre fans – donning the stage, with her wonderful singing voice as Miss Hedge in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. What a stellar job she does, a perfect fit for this role. She never has a weak moment on the stage. Her depiction of a drunk, lonely woman with a miserable existence is second-to-none. You really do buy in to this being a real person and, until the bows, Rachel seems real…what an achievement for any actor.

Another well-known face on the stage is Jason Merrells, playing Tom Watson. Merrells has a plethora of experience on stage and screen, probably most recognisable from Waterloo Road, Cutting It and Casualty. What a great character he plays during this show, charismatically conniving with a real evil streak. He manages to get the balance just right and it is understandable how the wool is pulled over both his wife’s and ex-wife’s eyes. Scenes played alongside Fletcher are just electrifying, you could cut the atmosphere with a knife for the most part. And towards the end of the show, the action sequence of him trying to convince Rachel, that she is the suspect that murdered the victim makes for quite uncomfortable viewing.

The set and design were spectacular. Probably one of the most modern sets in current theatre doing the rounds, using three huge screens that stayed on the stage at all times but with a digital display, changing to suit the scene. There probably is an argument with some traditional theatre fans as to whether productions should use digital displays, but this perhaps solidifies the fact that we should. It really did add so many dimensions to the show, which traditionally we wouldn’t get – for example, adding the weather to view through the window. The rainy days really added extra doom and gloom to the bedroom in which Rachel has some of her weakest and most fragile moments.

The fantastic news for avid fans of the novel is that the adaptation stays true to the original, just condensed down into this masterpiece of a production. A thrilling and exhilarating production with a superb cast. If you only see one thriller on stage this year, make sure it’s this one. 

The Girl on the Train plays at Lyceum Theatre until Saturday 08 March. Tickets are available here.

Sophie Dodworth is an experienced theatre reviewer. Prior to joining NAR she has written reviews for multiple review sites including The Reviews Hub, and sees reviewing as a lovely break from being a busy mum. Sophie has herself tread the boards, working full time as a professional singer many years ago and more recently in amateur productions.