The stage adaptation of The Girl on the Train pulls into Bath Spa this week in a big steam cloud of dry ice, before its onward journey across the country until its Dublin terminus six months later. But is it first class or standard?
Jason Merrells as Tom Watson and Giovanna Fletcher as Rachel Watson | Photo © Pamela Raith Photography
Paula Hawkins’ source novel is a master class of suspense which became a phenomenon, holding the record in the UK for a hardback book, topping the sales charts for a staggering twenty weeks.
It’s a memorably slippery and elusive murder mystery, told in differing chapters from the points of view of each of its three lead female characters. Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel’s subsequent stage adaptation might have done well to keep this striking structure, instead of relying so heavily upon the story of Rachel Watson, the titular Girl.
The plot remains remarkably faithful (at least until the climax, that is). Rachel, whose divorce from Tom has precipitated a descent into alcoholism and despair, has taken to spying on the home of her ex and his new family during her daily rail commute to London.
She notices Tom’s seemingly glamorous neighbours Megan and Scott Hipwell too, and fixates on them as the type of dream couple she yearns to be part of. But when Megan disappears one Saturday night, everyone becomes a suspect, including Rachel herself, whose drink-addled memory may well be as unreliable as her fantasies.
The big question here – other than the obvious whodunit – is do we care enough? In the novel, the tripartite narration allows the reader to know and care for each of the women, but in the play (other than one scene where Megan breaks down, played beautifully by Natalie Dunne), the focus remains fully on Rachel’s experience, and she never leaves the stage.
This makes the other characters little more than cyphers in a line-up of suspects, giving the actors minimal scope to shine, and requires us to identify with Rachel.
The issue here is, whilst there is no doubting Giovanna Fletcher’s attack and lack of vanity in the role, she plays the confused and frequently lying Rachel with a rasping, almost continually shouting voice, ever fidgeting and flailing her arms; whilst this may be accurate behaviour in some alcoholics, it makes for a tiresome and unrelatable heroine over 150 minutes, especially as she herself may be the murderer.
With no-one to really root for, the audience is left observing but not caring, like watching a vodka-soaked Agatha Christie play.
There is much to commend the production itself though. The star of the show is the staging: Adam Wiltshire’s drab design, Jack Knowles’ unforgiving lighting and Dan Light’s rain-drenched video design, creating a restless, dreamlike backdrop for the drama, all grainy flickering images like Rachel’s shattered mind, with a central frame representing the train window and glimpses of images she may or may not have seen; at one point this revolves into a kind of hamster wheel from which the confused and despairing narrator is unable to escape, which is a stunning moment.
Director Loveday Ingram keeps a firm hand on the swift mood changes and uses highly effective moments of characters walking between and around Rachel and whoever she is talking to, like shards of images piercing her memory.
Devotees of the novel will find much to enjoy in this largely faithful retelling, except possibly the movie thriller-style changed climax which radically changes certain characters’ culpability.
If you haven’t read the book, get on board the train and take in the view. You never know what you might see.
The Girl on the Train is showing at Theatre Royal Bath until 22nd February. Box office: 01225 448844.
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Reviewer: Steve Huggins
