The Railway Children

This should not work but it does, beautifully. The three railway children are played by young adults recounting their story but speaking as children. As I say, it should not work but it does. The theatre is the Railway Museum in York and the set within is made of two opposing station platforms between which are several small stages which cunningly move up and down the railway tracks as metaphorical trains where the story is told. It is all quite original and highly imaginative. I would love to have seen this in York, particularly when the original engine steams onto the stage. But this review is based upon the TV production of the same stage play which I saw in 2018. And I know very well how difficult it is to film a stage play in the making and expect to work on the small screen. But this does very very well.

The "children" are impressive. Quick dialog and constant movement. Creative retelling, but glad I had recently finished the book again so I could follow the story. There really is a lot of yelling. Understandable for the children who argue almost incessantly (Nesbit's genius of writing children as they truly are) but it's the mother who shouts every line. Sweet, angelic, patient Mother, this portrayal makes you hate her, impatient, panicking, blowing her top.

Costumes are wonderful. I wish the stage people could've stayed out of the shots- very distracting.

Even thought I didn't love it- I'm thrilled this wonderful piece of children's literature is brought to life for modern audiences.

I have a hard time enjoying plays in which adults play themselves as children, it's interesting, endearing but entirely bizarre imho. That said, for a play in which adults play themselves as children it was entertaining.

This is a filmed version of Mike Kenny and Damian Cruden's stage adaptation that took place at the National Railway Museum in Yorkshire. It also features the original locomotive from the much loved 1970 film.

The 1970 film starring Jenny Agutter was regular viewing in our household when we were children and we even read the book at school so it was only right to watch this stage version with my own children.

E Nesbit's The Railway Children is a classic book of three children, Roberta, Phyllis and Peter who live a rather privileged life with servants in London until one day their father who works for the Foreign Office is imprisoned for spying.

The children and their mother, now impoverished move to rural Yorkshire near a railway line. Here they hang around the railway line and become the Railway Children as they deal with helping out others and in turn a kindly old gentleman who they see riding on a train every day helps them out by finding out what has happened to their father.

Obviously this is a stage play that was filmed live for a screen showing but it works well. You do have to use your imagination and the narration by the actors to provide the necessary link to the story. It still retains the charm of the book and the film.