The Railway Children At The Actor’s Church, Covent Garden Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Mel Randle
Yesterday we took a trip to London to see The Railway Children at St Paul’s Church, Convent Garden (aka The Actor’s Church) as part of their Theatre In The Garden Summer Series. Performed by Tethered Wits Theatre Company, it is a sweet short adaptation of E.Nesbit’s novel very much aimed at children aged 5+
The performance is only 1 hour long with no interval, so it is not worth a special journey into the city just for that, but it is a lovely addition to a day out. We arrived in London just before lunch, had a mooch around the sights before making our way to Covent Garden for the 4.30pm performance.
The ‘theatre’ is set in the garden of a nearly 400 year old church. The surrounding high buildings enclose the garden from the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden just a stone’s throw away, and with the beautifully maintained flower beds and the fairy lighting adorning the pathways, it has a really intimate and magical feel from the moment you walk in.
The staging took place on the rear stone steps of the church with the church door acting as the wings. Garden benches were closely positioned around the semi-circular stage for us to sit on which really added to the intimacy and invited us to be part of the story. I think this whole set up and being open aired was really appealing for young children and those experiencing theatre for the first time. You could see them engaging with the actors as if they were speaking direct to them.
The cast was made up of four actors each taking on two different parts. The transition from character to character was simple and effective with just the addition of a piece of clothing. The actress playing Roberta seamlessly became Mother by simply wrapping a blanket around her shoulders as a shawl. There were no grand costume changes – none were needed because the simplicity was what made it work . The same principle was applied to the set and props. Just some clever movement of a chair and some suitcases were enough to make us believe they had moved from their house to the station master’s office.
I am ashamed to say, although I had heard of it, I didn’t know the story of the Railway Children before I went. Thankfully I didn’t need to. As well as being characters, the actors also took on the role of storytellers. Each scene was set, we knew who was who, where they were and what was happening. Sound effects and scene changes were created by the cast members and their accompanying musical instruments which was another element I really loved. It’s very rare that children get to see the instruments used in theatre productions and there was a great mix of wind, string and brass.
Throughout the hour, there was lots of opportunity for audience participation and a chance for any child who wanted to, to go up on stage and help with a scene. The actors appeared from front, side, back and weaved their way through the audience, all the while keeping the audience captivated. The performance was just the right length to tell the story, build the enthusiasm and leave the whole audience with a smile on their faces and a warm fuzzy feeling as we all made our way from the serenity of the garden back into the hustle and bustle of London!
Rating: 5/5
The Railway Children is playing at St Paul’s Church Covent Garden until 1st September
There are two performances at 1430 and 1630
Tickets range from £10.50-£12.50
For more information and to book tickets, visit https://actorschurch.org/whatson/the-railway-children/