THEATRE ROYAL, GLASGOW – UNTIL SATURDAY 6TH JULY 2019
REVIEWED BY SIOBHAN WILSON
4****
I have never seen this Alfred Hitchcock movie, and this is not a show that I would normally choose to go and see, but I am so very glad I did go and see it. You are immediately sucked in to the setting with the pre-show announcement being in, I think, Austrian but it could have been German (my languages in that area of Europe are not great). And as the curtain pulls back the Nazi flags drop. Set pre-WWII, this is the story how strangers end up on a train together travelling back to the UK from Austria. An elderly lady Mrs. Froy (Juliet Mills) aids a young lady, Iris (Lorna Fitzgerald) following a head bump at the station prior to boarding. During the journey things go array and Mrs Froy disappears. None of the train remembers Mrs. Froy being there and Iris manages to convince a young suitor Maximilian (Matt Barber) to aid her in trying to find Mrs. Froy with some dangerous consequences to not just themselves but all patrons on the train. There is a gun shootout with loud bangs and flashes that were not expecting so those of you that are faint-hearted have been warned.
I have had to drop this a star due to the Official (Joe Reisig) regularly speaking in German which I could not understand – apart from the obscenities. He is an extremely stern and commanding character which Joe conveys impeccably. However, I felt I was missing information by not understanding the German. It did not have an overall effect on the story though. Having commented on the performance how authentic is accent sounded even when he was speaking English, we later discovered he was Dutch, so an inspired casting choice.
The set was very simple yet effective, the sound and lighting coupled with the actor’s intricacies made you really feel as though you were on the train with them. These include, but are not limited to, slight sway or shuffle as if the train was moving as well as the perfect synchronisation of action when the train was stopping or starting.
The twist at the end we did not expect and thoroughly pleased us leaving us with a lovely moment to leave the theatre with. If you want to know what the twist is you should go and get your tickets now!