A DARK and disturbing psychological thriller awaits those who go to see The Girl on The Train but what do the cast think about the plot and the characters they play?
Joanna van Kampen plays the main character Rachel Watson who has a drink problem.
She said: “We hope they are going to really feel the drinking, that it is visceral enough that they will feel like they are in Rachel’s head almost. Every time she is foggy with alcohol, that they get a real sense of that. She is trying to remember stuff and the alcohol makes it harder for her to do that.”
Joanna, who played the character Fallon Rogers in the Archers for 23 years, confirmed that the play is like putting the pieces of a jigsaw together.
She said: “Rachel is making choices that might be questionable. At times, the audience might wonder why she did that."
Phoebe Pryce plays Anna Watson the new wife of Rachel’s ex-husband and admitted there is a lot of tension on the stage.
She said: “It’s so hard to know what to say so not to give too much away.
“I’m the new wife but there are parallels between us all. There’s a lot of tension and jealousy particularly, between the two women."
Jonathan Firth's character Tom is the Rachel’s ex-husband.
He said: “What can the audience expect? It’s kind of at its heart – a bit of a murder mystery. The lead character Rachel played by Joanna van Kampen has sort of witnessed it, but she has a serious drink problem and has a lot of blackouts. She is trying to dig up her memories.
“Post alcoholic remorse features heavily. There are the themes of coercive control, unreliable and reconstructive memory. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has a motive. There’s a sense of the truth being out, and that justice is done.”
Emer McDaid plays the character Megan Hipwell who goes missing.
Emer said: “The story is drip-fed really well. Everything that is said, every line, there’s meaning behind it. There’s something to read into.
“I think we have had the ability to have more complex characters, and to go into their world. In fact, every single character is broken in their own way, and it’s added a richness on stage.
“This character is one of the darkest characters I have had to play, and it is difficult to connect, and you will see why when you watch it."
Samuel Collings plays Scott Hipwell – the husband of the missing woman.
He said: "We are the people Rachel watches from the train, but nothing is what it seem. Hopefully, Rachel is the audience’s way into the story and hopefully, the audience is following her discovery of each step of this whodunnit and is in lockstep with her.
“There are red herrings but there are lighter moments.”
Tiran Aakel plays Kamal Abdic
He said: "The style of the show is quite layered. On the surface, it is a thriller but the way we have created it, it is much more stylised, but you see the protagonist inside her mind (Rachel) in between scenes. There are six very complex characters, and you will see their journeys.
Jason Merrells plays D.I. Gaskill and is well-known for playing Sir Charles Fraith in TV’s Agatha Raisin and with the roles being so different, what does it feel like taking on a new character?
He said: “Being an actor is about change, you do different things and tell different stories. This is a new story and a new angle to explore."
The Girl on the Train has been adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel and runs from Thursday, October 19 – Saturday, November 11.
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