We’d love to find out what you thought of our production of The Railway Children by E. Nesbit, adapted by Mike Kenny and directed by Damian Cruden. Did you love the staging? Was the acting amazing? Did a tear form in the corner of your eye as Roberta runs towards her Father? Maybe the spectacular entrance of a 39 tonne steam train really moved you?
Add your comments below!
Filed under: *Old Reviews, *Previous Shows Tagged: | Artistic Director, Damian Cruden, E. Nesbit, Mike Kenny, Reviews, The Railway Children
I really didn’t expect to like The Railway Children. As far as i could remember from my childhood watching Jenny Aguter at Christmas it was essentially a simple story about kids who become heroes by waving red pants in front of a train… What pleasantly surprised me in this adaptation was that unlike my Yuletide memories there is a lot more to the story than just stopping a train (although it is an integral part). Some of the politics within the play are incredibly relevant today; the persecution of artists, wrongful imprisonment, torture and state oppression. That said this adaptation was not too heavy, it had a lightness of touch, nice comic moments and an absorbing story-telling technique that drew me deep into the action. The venue is superb, very hard to believe it used to be a tent and is now a theatre, the acting is amazing and as for the train.. well…wow… I’ve seen this twice already and hope to be going again!
We took our grandchildren (Amber 13 and Joseph 10) to the first performance. We were all absolutely spellbound – it was terrific. I’ve read E Nesbit for over 50 years, I love her children’s books. This production entirely does her justice. The integrity of the whole thing, writing, casting, staging, acting, music and, well, what can you say about the set and props?? I always cry at ‘My Daddy ….’ but tears came to my eyes long before, and, especially when the engine appeared – stunning. We loved it.
I was keen to see The Railway Children as it is one of my favourite books, but I did wonder how the story would fare, given that it seems to have been produced so many times. It was absolutely fantastic! We went last week and I think I might go again. The production was so real…I was in the story, actually part of it. And the train!…what a masterstroke. There were parts when I didn’t know whether it was the heat or tears running down my cheeks; especially when father came out of the steam at the end.
Another triumph for the York Theatre Royal team. Thank you!
Many thanks for a truely wonderful production! A suberb adaptation, amazing staging (set, lighting, and sound), clear and beautiful characters, thank you Damien Cruden for your vision and direction, probably a once in a lifetime experience. DON’T MISS IT.
1 word sums this all up BRILLIANT! It kept my 2 girls (aged 10 and 8) silent for 2 hours, and that takes some doing. The cast were fabulous and the scene was purfect, especially the enterance of the steam train. This is definately a family must see for all ages in my opinion. A truly wonderful production that made me cry!
The unique atmosphere of the National Railway Museum, an excellent set, wonderful actors and actresses, careful and accurate production, great story, and engine no 1, makes this one of the very best and special productions I have seen for a long time. An excellent way to complement a visit to York and the museum, it will entertain and captivate children of ALL ages.
Fantastic! Taking the grandchildren as an excuse to go again.
Brilliant, brilliant!! Superb acting, wonderful ven ue, excellent costumes, perfect sets, this should not be missed. The steam engine was icing on the cake. My grandchildren and I look forward to another idea for a 2009 production.
I travelled up from near Bath specifically to see the production with my 9yr old son, as I suspected it would be a lifetime memory for him to see it having read the Guardian review. We weren’t disappointed – a marvellous and ingenious production which captivated him and reduced me to tears! My only critical comment was that the actors (and the production) seemed to accept that the real train would upstage everything else in the final scene of each act, and they didn’t hold the dramatic moment of the rescue or the reunion as long as they could. In each instance time should stop still and the quality of the production was such that they could have held the moment longer to greater effect. But this is a minor point in what was a fantastically brave and successful venture. I hope it sells out, and hope some of the other National newspapers cover it, because it is definitely one worth the journey (by train of course).
What a show!!! Well done to all involved!! I loved every single minute of it. Well done to the 2 people who played the children. I loved the way you played your parts, Phyllis was hilarious, Peter’s part was brilliantly played, Bobbie was just birlliant as well. Hearing Stoke on Trent’s name being mentioned in an early scene reminded me of where i used to live. thanks 4 reliving that place 4 me. Well done 2 Sterling Single, she was magnificent. Thanks once again 2 every1 for a FANTASTIC evening!!! 10/10!!! 100 Stars from me!!!! Please do it again soon.
Thank you so much to all involved in the production of The Railway Children. This was really good family entertainment and a truly memorable performance. The setting was perfect, the acting superb and the highlight was the arrival of the train. We felt that we were involved in the story and we will never forget this wonderful experience. We are telling all our friends to come along!
Truely AMAZING!!! We have always loved the story of the Railway Children and seeing it brought to life in this way was truely breath taking… The acting, costumes, venue was spectacular and Marshall Lancaster as Perks was brilliant (Bernard Cribbins would be proud)… A perfect way to spend at Saturday afternoon (2nd aug)… Well done to all the cast especially the children !!!
We have just got home from seeing this fantastic production. Even our three year old sat through the whole play. It was one of the best bits of theatre we have seen in years. Thank everyone involved. When the production finishes, have a great break. You will have all worked really hard and will need the break.
This was a wonderful production. After reading the Guardian review, I bought tickets and a family railcard and suprised my children with a day out. It might seem strange to be leaving Edinburgh to go and see a theatre production at this time of year but it was well worth it and made a change from my usual self imposed festival hibernation. My children, 11 and 8, had no idea what was planned until we got into the Railway Museum. They were rapt throughout the perfomance which I thought was one of the best family shows I have ever seen. Absolutely fantastic, the actors were brilliant. I was so disappointed when it ended. Who needs a festival?! This was a day we will remember for a long time.
When my mother asked if we would like to see your production I had reservations as I thought it would be aimed at young children. The only reason for going was to see the train! How wrong could I have been – we thoroughly enjoyed it. It was lovely that the cast involved the audience and the auditorium was arranged so that you almost felt it was a personal performance just for you. The sound effects and lighting were brilliant and of course the train was great. I enjoyed it so much I would have liked to go again but time doesn’t permit. It goes to show how good the cast were in setting the scenes with so little props and getting you to use your imagination. I would thoroughly recommend anybody of all ages to see this performance. Please pass on our congratulations and thanks for a very enjoyable evening to the cast and all the ‘behind the scenes’ staff.
Three generations of our family travelled to York from Letchworth (Hertfordshire) and Northampton to watch the Railway Children on 9th August. Our range of ages spanned from 5 years to 64. I cannot praise the performance enough, we all thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it. The staging was absolutely inspired, when we first took our seats, we all sat pondering how on earth the actors were giong to perform in such a restricted space. My 5 year old son was spell bound by the arrival of the steam train, which was magnificent.However, the most significant part for me was the casting, the actors and actresses were outstanding in remaining true to the characters in the original film, and made the whole story totally believable. Mr Perks stood out in particular. I cannot recommend this production highly enough and would not hesitate to watch it again if we didn’t live so far away!
It was an experience that will stay with us all for a very long time and is the most innovative and emotive piece of theatre I have seen for a long time.
Thank you so very much. Heather Parker
My favourite bit was when the real train came.
Watching “The Railway Children” was a wonderful experience, enjoyed by the whole family. The venue, setting, acting and special effects were magical. We lived every minute with them. Thank you to everyone for such a delightful evening’s entertainment.
WOW!
I Really Enjoyed it last night,
I was only expecting the great steam engine to come in once, but it was great when it starred many times in the second act.
The one thing I would complain about is the seating, we were crushed together, but the stage acts moved, so it was pretty good!
A Great Show By All The Cast!
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to York Railway Museum and to the performance of the Railway Children. The cast were excellent in their production of the play and the setting was brilliant and emotive. The casting of Perks was great and the ‘children’ rose to the challenge of being the narrators of the story and their characters. The arrival of the steam train was just the ‘icing on the cake’ well done to the cast for giving us such a memorable evening
I saw the production on July 30th and was entranced by the performance. I have since recommended others to experience this wonderful production in the railway shed. I desperately wanted to see it again but all the tickets have now been sold. I imagine many others will be going back to see it again! The train was splendid but even without that it would be very special. The atmosphere was tremendous although the audience on the 30th seemed rather quiet until the end . I think they were probably spellbound.
The only criticism in the performance I saw was that one of Perk’s children was wearing very glittery and glamorous earrings which were picked out by the lights and slightly spoilt the image of poverty.
I know that it would be very tiring for the actors to continue with performances after the 23rd but sad that something so wonderful can’t be seen by more people. I know that many are disappointed that they are unable to get tickets.
Thankyou for a memorable event.
Hi,Im sophie and Im 10.I thought the railway children would be like a better version of a pantomime,but it was Fantastic.It was one of the best shows I have ever seen.I thought Sarah Quintrell who played Roberta Was brilliant.But,The best part was when the steam train came on, it was amazing.The whole day was Brilliant I will never forget it.
p.s.My mum cried at the end!
Congratulations York Theatre Royal for a spendid performance of the Railway Children.My husband and I went to see the performance on Sat 16th Aug in the afternoon. It was really nice to see young children sitting quietly watching the performance.The acting and the set were excellent and the most thrilling part was the arrival of the train.I am sure the memories of watching The Railway Children at the Railway Museum will stay in my mind for a long time. Well done.
Wonderful
My friend & I attended last nights show. Neither of us really knew what to expext other than a real train but were so impressed with the whole experience from the pre show sound effects right through to the end – and yes I was crying at the re-union. The girls sitting near us were thrilled to have the props right in front of them and we felt part of the show.
All the actors were excellent – I wondered if they may seem tired on the night before the last day but held us to the end.
Well done to cast,crew,director and all those behind the scenes (even the rain held off for us in the interval)
We were in the audience for the afternoon peformance on the 23rd August.
As a particular favoutite of ours we were looking forward to the production and were not disappointed. The whole cast and production, not forgetting the back stage staff, was superb, and a very imaginative re-telling of the story in an unusual setting. The loco number surely represents the quality of the entire show. It really was No1.
We would hope that in the future you might be able to repeat the production.
Thank you every one involved for an excellent afternoons entertainment.
I was disappointed by this production. By far the biggest problem was the bellowing voices of the actors throughout giving no opportunity for nuance or unforced emotions – I wasn’t moved at any stage. The father/ doctor was cold with the latter traipsing around looking lost and sounding uninterested in Bobby’s predicaments. While the production was of course inventive and creative it dominated and marginalised ‘the story’. This was summed up in two particular episodes – when Bobby discovered that her father had been arrested she talks at some distance to her mother who for some reason is atop a load of suitcases, after a bit of bellowing at each other Mother then retreats down the line. The climax of father daughter reunion is somewhat spoilt by the father jumping off the train beating down the platform in the wrong direction only to re-appear from the smoke for the classic moment – contrived I’m afraid. The children I was sitting amongst were restless throughout and I’m afrid so was I.
My sister booked us tickets to see this production on her birthday – 23rd August. Her two children (boy of 7 1/2 and girl of just 5) sat spell-bound (as did their Aunt – me!). We have front-row seats and felt so involved in the production. The quality of acting, the production using sliding stages along the line made a memorable day. I had wondered how the tunnel scene would be dealt with – clever use of black netting. The only misgiving I had at the start was the actresses playing Bobby and Phyllis, but I was soon lost in the action and the quality of acting. Back to our holiday cottage in Pickering, and on one of the NYRM trains, there was an “old gentleman” sitting in the rear compartment of one of the old Pullman carriages! Long may productions like this continue.
My husband & I came to see the production in 2008 and were so impressed we are bringing another 10 people to see it again this year. It is a unique experience. Suitable for adults & children alike. No doubt the scene, where father returns home, will have me in tears yet again!
I went along with my daughter, son-in.law and an eleven year old boy. It was hard to say who enjoyed it most. We were all spell bound. The acting was good and engaging, whilst the setting was very atmospheric. Great family entertainment.
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