If you’re going to take a successful book, one already the subject of a film and turn it into a stage play, you’d better have a good reason for doing so other than merely grabbing some free publicity courtesy of the other genres. It can be done; the technical possibilities of the stage to say nothing of the imaginations of actors, directors and all the other creatives who make our theatre so vibrant can make a live performance a unique experience unmatched by anything else.

Often a central performance can hold things together. Samantha Womack who plays Rachel, ‘the girl’, is such a one, helped I’m happy to report by some sound supporting performances. Her portrayal of a woman sailing close to the wind of alcoholism and breakdown is a finely judged piece of acting. She has found the right level of resigned shrug and aimless toping that marks her out as someone who has all but given up. Her state is nicely mirrored in James Cotterill’s multifunction set, which captures her shambolic existence when not chugging along or being a crime scene. Life for her is approached with a sigh that articulates the void in her existence following her separation and divorce. The shabbily dressing and slovenly attitude towards appearance, the secret little back-turned gulps of booze and light, the shameless denials of drink dependence all sketch-in a perfectly underplayed portrait of a directionless life left empty by loss.

The other theme which runs through the play and gives it a contemporary relevance is the issue of domestic abuse of the psychological control kind, the ‘gaslighting’ that so often goes undetected by outsiders in an otherwise ‘normal’ relationship.

One thing that irritated and distracted the attention in an unwelcome way was the repeated reference to Rachel as someone who was ‘spying’ on the missing woman and her husband. Quite how one would ‘spy’ from a speeding train stretches credulity to suggest.

The on-train sequences seemed unnecessary and only there because of the antecedent use in the film, but added little to the tension the play was aiming to develop. That tension when it did come was at the end and when it came was oddly melodramatic and out of kilter with Anthony Banks’ otherwise detailed direction. Mr Banks handling of the non-linear time sequence had no rattling bogeys as it went over the interchanges, finding instead that flexibility which live performance can enjoy and exploit.

If thrillers are your thing you will undoubtedly want to come and see this show as will fans of Samantha Womack.    ★★★☆☆    Graham Wyles   9^th April 2019