THE RAILWAY CHILDREN by Mike Kenny, directed by Damian Cruden (Mirvish). At the Roundhouse Theatre (255 Bremner). To June 26. $25-$140. 416-872-1212. See listing Rating: NN
The Railway Children, Mike Kenny’s adaptation of Edith Nesbit’s treasured children’s book, chugs along with the robust determination of the Little Engine that Could, but there’s only so much that chemical steam and plummy English accents can do.
It’s a simple enough premise: the charismatic Waterbury siblings – Bobbie (Natasha Greenblatt), Peter (Harry Judge) and Phyllis (Kate Besworth) – usher us into their comfortable life in Edwardian London, then detail their move to a working-class town after their father’s sudden disappearance. They become the eponymous children thanks to a series of dramatic events involving the nearby train station.
The three kids, who also narrate the play, come to learn that there’s always something to be hopeful about – the placid, facile idea at the heart of the material.
There’s plenty of choreographed action. In fact, the actors seldom stand still, stepping to and from the wooden platforms perpetually manoeuvred along the tracks by dour stagehands. And while most of the cast perform capably – especially Greenblatt, who brings a poised sensitivity to oldest sister Bobbie – the exaggerated acting style often feels cartoonish.
Much like the theatre constructed around the tracks, it seems like the whole production has been adapted to allow for the show’s much-touted (and tooted) live train.
The vehicle’s a lovely old thing, but things are far more interesting when it isn’t onstage huge, curtained scrims provide a wonderful sense of intimacy during a nicely protracted tunnel episode in the second act.
The show’s being marketed as the Miss Saigon of family entertainment (with a train instead of a helicopter), and while it’s not quite a wreck, it still remains track-bound.
