BWW Reviews: THE GHOST TRAIN, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, May 12 2015

Brighton-based theatre company Talking Scarlet are building up an increasing repertoire of stage productions and there are currently four of their shows on the road. The play I had the pleasure of seeing last night was The Ghost Train by Arnold Ridley. A comedy thriller written in 1923; it has been revived countless times over the last ninety years and considering it only took Ridley a week to write, that's rather impressive!

Based on Ridley's personal experiences, The Ghost Train centres around a group of passengers who get stranded overnight at a small remote Cornish railway station, allegedly five miles away from any other civilisation. The stationmaster exhorts the strangers to leave the station before the 'ghost train' passes through at 11pm as whoever sees it gets killed. The plot twists and turns and is exactly what a thriller should be.

The show is straightforward technically with its static set, designed by Geoff Gilder, depicting the station waiting room. It is very exposing for the written text but fortunately it is strong enough to hold up against such simplicity. It takes a little while to find its stride but following this, it is plain sailing. The play does seem old fashioned, particularly with the dialect used, but is very classic and Patric Kearns' direction keeps it so. David North's lighting is remarkably uncomplicated with little needed to assist the dialogue but it works well in context. The stage is dark for too long at the top of the show as setting the scene is accomplished easily with the pre-show soundscape.

The acting company work extremely well as an ensemble. Jeffrey Holland commands the first scene of Act One with his excellent storytelling as the Station Master and aided by Tom Butcher's comic timing. The glue of the piece are the two couples however, played by Chris Sheridan, Sophie Powles, Ben Roddy and Corrinne Wicks.

A gripping watch and thoroughly enjoyable.

The Ghost Train plays at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry until 16th May 2015 and continues to tour through the summer.

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