So many secrets, so many lies, so many suspects.
Howick Little Theatre’s stage production of author Paula Hawkins’ much-loved story The Girl on the Train is a multi-layered spider’s web drawn together toward an explosive conclusion.
The psychological thriller is based on the novel of the same name and adapted for the stage by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel.
It’s set in the United Kingdom and centres on the character Rachel Watson, an unemployed, divorced and depressed alcoholic, played by Katie Fullard.
Rachel creates a fantasy in her mind about the lives of the people she sees outside the window while riding the train.
They include her ex-partner Tom, his new wife Anna, their baby Evie, and a couple named Scott and Megan Hipwell.
When Megan disappears, the tension increases with the arrival of sarcastic Detective Inspector Gaskill, played by Ruth Edgar, who focuses on Rachel as the prime suspect.
Fullard creates a drunken yet likeable woman in Rachel, who’s trying to work out what happened to Megan while struggling to pull her life together and overcome her demons.
Dramatic relationships are the spark that ignites the play’s explosive drama.
Rachel may still hold a candle for her dishonest and manipulative ex-husband Tom, played by Cameron Smith, and her mutual animosity toward Anna, played by Natasha Foster, only darkens the mood.
Scott and Megan, played by Daniel Wilkinson and Saga Vigre Bohinen, also have a tempestuous relationship that’s scarred by infidelity and violence.
Adding another layer to the storyline is mysterious therapist Kamal Abdic, played by Romain Mereau, who’s providing counselling and possibly more to Megan.
Swedish actor Bohinen delivers one of the play’s most moving and memorable scenes.
Kneeling on the ground, she stirs the emotions while recounting a traumatic incident from her past, echoed by the backdrop of dripping water and a howling gale battering her ramshackle home.
Director Matthew van den Berg has an excellent cast of seven Kiwi and overseas actors to work with and he gets a stellar performance from each.
The play features a high-quality set and an up-tempo soundtrack with music that may be new to the ears of older audience members.
Overall, it’s a fast-paced and emotional story that will have the audience engaged until the final scene.
What: The Girl on the Train
Where: Howick Little Theatre, 1 Sir Lloyd Drive, Pakuranga
When: Season runs until May 29 (Wed to Sat, 8pm), with a 2pm matinee on May 16.
To book tickets, go online to www.iticket.co.nz/events/2021/may/girl-on-the-train or phone 361 1000.
