Richmond Theatre – until 16 February 2019
Reviewed by Prachya van de Gevel
4.5****
Thrilling to the end !
I have to confess I had only ever heard of the film, with Emily Blunt before going to see this play, based on the novel of the same title by Paula Hawkins.
So I had no idea of the premise of the storyline or what to expect, but I was in for a real treat. In some ways the sets were basic and in other ways they were intricate and immersive but the focus was solely on what was not there . The negative space. This seems a common theme throughout the play. What was not seen
What stood out was Samantha Womack in the lead role of Rachel Watson, She filled all the negative space with her energy and emotion and kept you guessing with what was happening.
The lead character is lost in turmoil, caught in a world between the fantasy and reality … many alcohol fuelled blackouts (negative space) leading her to position herself further into a world of mystery. I am being very careful not to give away the story. The premise is that a woman everyday lost in her emotions and fresh from being divorced from her estranged husband , witnesses a couple from her train window and gets caught away in fantasy in her head of the couple she sees until the a girl goes missing and the reality lands on her doorstep.
Samantha is joined by Oliver Farnworth as her estranged husband in the role of Scott and his acting as well as that of Tom (Adam Jackson-Smith) can’t match the seasoned abilities of Samantha, I felt that both their performances as the (ex) partners of the central roles, don’t give me the chills like the role of Rachel.
I felt no empathy towards Tom as someone who had recently discovered his wife was missing as he played it off with such callousness, and with the character of Scott, I felt that there was times he wasn’t sure how to position his body language and simply awaiting his next line, almost not quite sure where to place himself.
Similarly Naeem Hayat as the Kamal Abdic only really came alive towards the 2nd half of the play, and from where I was sitting this was a sentiment shared by others in audience.
The male standout came from John Dougall, playing DI Gaskill, who created much needed humour and alongside Samantha definitely stole the scenes he was in.
His performance was flawless and I found myself looking forward to seeing him next, knowing that he would provide a relief from being on the edge of my seat!
And for me his character really showed diversity and one liners that I still remember fondly.
Going back to the negative space theme is where Kirsty Oswald really shined. She did not have many lines, but poised in the background creating flashback scenes was a very clever
Use of the stage space and directing and I found myself getting immersed into the visual retelling of the play, I was very impressed with the way this was represented, of course the use of music and lighting helps to capture the poignant and dramatic moments to great effect.
The supporting cast of Anna Watson played by Lowenna Melrose and Matt Concannon and Phillipa Flynn, rounded out the cast, but in truth they were not memorable a but just added to the scenery to help move the story along. I am being careful not to divulge too much of the story line here, but what I can say is that as someone that enjoys a great mystery that needs to be solved, you will think you have cracked the case by the interval , and by the end… just you wait and see!