Review - The Girl on the Train - People's Theatre

The Girl on the Train 

People's Theatre

14th July 2026

Adapted for the stage by

Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel

Directed by Sam Sanford

If you need a distraction from the football you could do worse than pay a visit to The People's Theatre in Newcastle this week for their production of  The Girl on the Train. 

Adapted from the novel by Paula Hawkins this dark, psychological thriller presents some challenges for a theatre production. The story involves train journeys (always a challenge to reproduce on stage),  flashbacks involving multiple characters, and potentially several scene changes. 

All this before we even get to the characters themselves, with their many layers of self deception. In particular Rachel Watson, the lead character, who searches for solace from her fractured world in alcohol. Her perception of reality is blurred by drink and fantasy. Director Sam Sanford manages to pull all of this together and create a production which is taut and atmospheric. The set is minimal - a mattress on the floor to represent Rachel's home, a sofa and drinks cabinet for Scott Hipwell's apartment, and rug and a baby's rocker for Anna and Tom's home. Chairs are brought on to represent the interview room at the police station, or the psychiatrist's office. While centre stage a cleverly lit tunnel represents the train, and the subway - almost a character in itself, this tunnel lights up, pulsates, and darkens as each aspect of the characters' stories is revealed. The flashbacks are created with a series of  screens that are lit to show each scenario as Rachel remembers and gradually pieces together the events of the fateful night. A pulsating sound track adds to the atmosphere and drama with the lighting and sound every bit as important in this play as the actors playing the parts. 

The cast all give excellent performances but Kate Plass as Rachel is superb - we see a broken woman gradually find herself, disentngling her own fantasies and the nightmare that inspired them, she solves a murder and finds redemption for herself and closure for the other characters. 

Even if you have read the book, or seen the film, you will be enthralled by this cleverly staged, tense thriller.  

*images by Paul Hood

Denise Sparrowhawk