Full Steam Ahead for the Bear Pit's Railway Children

Hal Sandle-Keynes (Peter), Sophie Sparkes (Phyllis), Ava Rose Carless (Bobbie). Photo by Chris J Clarke.

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit, adapted by Mike Kenny, directed by Emily Myerscough.  A Bear Pit Theatre Company Production.  At the Bear Pit Theatre, Rother Street, Stratford-upon-Avon from 6 – 15 December 2024.

Review by Ann Evans

The train now standing on The Bear Pit’s stage is a brilliantly clever way of bringing all the sounds, steam, action and atmosphere of an Edwardian railway station right onto the stage without an ounce of heavy metal in sight.

The characters, the costumes, the simple but effective props all work so well, effortlessly moving you from a well-to-do London dwelling to sparse country cottage, and from a bustling railway station to a moorland hillside looking down at the passing trains, and to a dark tunnel with a train heading straight towards you. As for moving a carriage-load of passengers along the line, that’s achieved so effectively by the characters themselves, so that the audience is happy to suspend belief, and drift back to 1905 and the small village station of Oakworth in Yorkshire.

Ensemble Track Pack: Photo by Chris J Clarke.

The Bear Pit’s production of E. Nesbit’s classic book, The Railway Children, adapted for the stage by Mike Kenny and directed by Emily Myerscough is another triumph for this great little theatre company – and hats off to the three young main characters who are on stage for the entire one and three-quarter hours and whose acting skills and delivery of their lines was impeccable.

The show has two teams of child actors, Steam Team and Track Pack, and at the dress rehearsal which this reviewer attended it was the amazing Ava Rose Carless playing Bobbie, Hal Sandle-Keynes as Peter and Sophie Sparks playing Phyllis.  On other nights it will be Faith Corry (Bobbie), Harry McKenna (Peter) and Francesca Dobson (Phyllis).

These and the other children in the ensemble are just fabulous – their acting, their facial expressions and the confident delivery of their lines makes for an absolutely delightful re-enactment of this classic story.

The Railway Children (Track Pack) with their Mother Nadine Batchelor-Hunt. Photo by Chris J Clarke.

I loved the sensible attitude of Bobbie, the eldest of the children, coping so well when so much responsibility fell on her shoulders. I loved also the effervescent energy and mischief of Peter and the charming nature and confidence of the youngest sibling, Phyllis.

The adult cast were pretty good too!  The children’s Mother was elegantly played by Nadine Batchelor-Hunt, Father and Doctor played by Richard Sandle-Keynes, and Mr Perks the Station Master was played excellently by Paul Tomlinson. As for the Old Gentlemen who has a big impact on the family’s life, Brian Darnley looked and played the part magnificently. The epitome of a kindly old gent!

The Railway Children tells the tale of a well-to-do family forced to move from their home in London to a little cottage in Yorkshire when their father is wrongly imprisoned for spying. Thrown on hard times, the family make the most of their new rural life, with the children enjoying the excitement of the steam trains that pass by every day.

Ava Rose Carless (Bobbie) with Mother Nadine Batchelor-Hunt. Photo by Chris J Clarke.

With the youngsters delighting the audience in the way they narrate certain scenes they also deliver plenty of humour and at times intense drama that will have you on the edge of your seat. Excellent special effects, lighting and sound effects all add to the magic of this production. (Lighting and Sound Design by Richard Ball).

This is an absolutely delight of a production – well done to everyone involved!

For tickets and show times call the Box office on 0333 666 3366 or visit: https://www.thebearpit.org.uk/whats-on/the-railway-children/