Girl On The Train, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre - Review

Having stopped off in the worlds of literature and movies, Paula Hawkins' best-selling novel has now been adapted for stage, with former Eastenders actress Samantha Womack in the driving seat.

Anyone familiar with the book or the film - don't worry, no spoilers here - knows how much the narrative relies on scenes of memory and flashbacks, so it was intriguing to see just how they would cope with those when they don't obviously lend themselves to live action on the stage.

But - as you would expect with a high-profile show such as this - the men and women behind the scenes found a way to not only accommodate these scenes, but make them such an interesting part of the show.

As good as the acting was from the nine-strong cast, particularly from Womack (Rachel Watson) and fellow former soap star Oliver Farnworth (Scott Hipwell), the lighting and staging is what made the play work and build the tension slowly but surely until the final-scene crescendo. Watch out for the many subtleties running through the show, including with costumes.

One of the many interesting things used was for some of the actors to take to the stage before the end of the interval to prepare for the second act - though no-one missed any action, so don't worry if you need a pint as well as an ice-cream(!)

Taking from the whodunnit classics of the past, such as those written by Agatha Christie, the stage adaption of Hawkins' novel puts a modern spin on the action and builds up a head of steam before it comes roaring at you down the tracks

You can catch The Girl On The Train at the Grand Theatre up to and including Saturday, March 23.