At the mention of the children’s classic, The Railway Children by E. Nesbitt, those of us who might have reached a certain age could be forgiven for picturing the likes of Jenny Agutter and Sally Thomsett waving at steam trains in the Yorkshire countryside in the film version back in 1970. But, as Jenny is now a nun delivering babies on TV and Sally has moved on to other adventures, it’s time for us to move on too.
A new musical adaptation of E. Nesbit’s classic story, written by Stephen Kingsbury and Ben Sleep, starts its tour at The Grand Theatre this Thursday.
Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis move with their mother from London to “The Three Chimneys”, a house near the railway in Yorkshire, after their father, who works at the Foreign Office, is imprisoned after being falsely accused of spying. They befriend an old gentleman who regularly takes the 9:15 train near their home and take care of a Russian exile, Mr Szczepansky, who is looking for his family, and Jim, the grandson of the old gentleman, who suffers a broken leg in a tunnel.
This new musical production aims to capture all the excitement and emotion of Nesbit’s subtle critique of the English class system and to bring the delights of this literary classic to yet another generation.
So stand clear of the platform as the train approaches and, when the steam clears, bring the family to enjoy this charming story from a bygone age.
The Railway Children runs Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 June. Tickets are available from blackpoolgrand.co.uk or by calling 01253 290190.
