"The Stationmaster"

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

Written by Mark Jennison-Boyle and Kim Harris, this is a ghost story set around World War Two, between 1938 and 1945, about a group of people, all of which have very interesting back stories, as to why they want to board the train and travel to America, which are all revealed throughout this musical. All these people have one thing in common as to why they are all converged on this particular  platform at Prospect Valley.

Throughout the first half of this musical, it all seemed a bit like a jigsaw puzzle that didn't seem to fit, but then, come Act two, all the pieces slotted into place. Why was the clock on the platform stopped at eighteen minutes to four? Why was there rust on the tracks? Why was the signal box not working? Why was the Captain still revisiting the platform after he had received the news that was delivered to him by The Stationmaster?

There is also a special twist at the end, which could lead to further stories down the line, if you'll pardon the pun!

Okay, I won't mince my words here. I was pleasantly confused for most of the play but this has to be one of the loveliest and best written new piece of theatre that I've seen in a long while. Having seen "At Journey's End", the piece that this musical has developed from, I can completely appreciate why the Stationmaster became the thread which goes through the whole piece.

Mark Jennison-Boyle started writing the music around thirty years ago and is absolutely stunning, as have been his past musical ventures. Four years ago, Mark staged an early version of this musical at The Guildhall Theatre in Derby called "At Journey's End", and "The Stationmaster" is the result of several rewrites and additions to the soundtrack. It was during the staging of "At Journey's End" that Kim and Mark met and decided to write together and form Tall Tales Productions. Kim, at that time played the role of The Stationmaster, and it was a development of the back story for the Stationmaster that brought about the change in the name of the musical to what it is now.

Graham Buchanan is The Stationmaster, and having seen Graham in many different roles over the years, this one tops everything that I have seen him perform. There are many layers to the Stationmaster and Graham reveals these layers throughout. there are some magnificent emotional parts played by Graham, which comes as a contrast to quite a few of his past roles, showing just what a talented actor Graham is.

Miss Smith is played by Sandy Lane, and is possibly the most fascinating character out of a cast of fascinating characters. To start with you are presented with a bitter and sharp old woman, but as we reach the end of the play, we discover exactly why she is like she is, and you really start to feel differently towards the character. Again I have seen Sandy play many roles over the years, but this part really shows what a brilliant actor Sandy is. This play seems to have brought out the best in many of the actors, and that can only be put down partly to the wonderful characterisation from the writer, as well as the talents of the actors. Brace yourself for an emotional second act with Miss Smith and a wonderful emotional song called "I Never Came Close".

Hilary Leam plays Rosa Leibovitz, her husband Josef Leibovitz is played by Paul Makinson and their daughter, Katerine is played by Georgina Bateman. Again an unexpected back story surrounding these three, and there are parts that I found my jaw dropping open. My jaw dropped open for a different reason to start with, and that was their vocals.

Brodie, an Irishman who wants to travel to America from Ireland with the prospect of then settling and bringing his family over. Brodie is played by Phil Deakin with a lilting Irish brogue, whcih was maintained when he sang as well. Brodie's main song is the very positive "Life, I'm Coming For You".

Curtis Taylor-Tipton plays Edward Lawrence, the Captain who returns to the platform pursuing his young lady. He's back from the war, and there's a twist there as well. It's been a while since I've seen Curtis on stage but in that time his voice has matured so well. He sings with no effort at all,a nd I had to agree with my audience member neighbour when she commented on what a lovely voice he has, His voice has matured like a fine wine, and like Graham and sandy, this role has brought out another level of excellence in his acting.

Lucy Gazzard plays Beatrice, ward of Miss Smith. This back story also has a twist that you wouldn't have seen coming either. Miss Smith is her Aunt who has been given the job to take her away from her loved one, by her parents; well that is waht we are lead to believe.......

Julia Harris plays Cynthia/Joan flitting between the two, both parts played with wonderful emotion.

Ben Sherwin is Darragh/Stefan and the prison guard, and it's as the latter that he is at his most vile and concerns the story with the Leibovitz family. 

Paul Makinson again triple plays as Josef Leibovitz, as previously mentioned but also plays Cartwright and Richard, two very different characters.

Charlie Buchanan plays Emma Henderson, The Stationmaster's daughter. Here also is a very emotional storyline which also brings out a new level of acting ability from Charlie. The ending is also a bit of a tear-jerker involving Charlie and Graham, so make sure you have a Kleenex at the ready.

Owain Jones plays Jack, The Stationmaster's nine year old son. Owain has played several roles previously but this sees him playing a more grown up character, which he plays with great maturity.

Directed by Kim Harris, the pace of this is timed to perfection, and the mystery involving what has happened in the past is well shrouded which makes the reveal, even more of a surprise. The element of tension is also kept well, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.

The Musical arrangements and production of the songs is by Mark Jennison-boyle, and like his other musical productions is extremely evocative, especially the Music Box section. As usual there are overtones of Celtic influences, which I love. The whole soundtrack is superbly composed, but when seen, and heard as part of an onstage piece just springs to life.

Sound Design by Dave Martin. You could hear every word sung and spoken and the music soundscape at times gives you chills due to the acoustic clarity.

Lighting by David Coull, and in this musical, the lighting creates the right atmosphere, especially when the back stories come into play, merging the past with the present time of the drama.

The set design is by Kim Harris and Les Parkes, and it's as if a platform has been lifted from a train station and transported to the Duchess Theatre stage, complete with age appropriate advertisements for the war era. The stage extension is courtesy of Roydon Staging.

The costumes are all excellent and really transforms you back in time, thanks to Lichfield Costume Hire and Judith Evans.

Choreography is by Charlie Buchanan.

So, if you want an unnerving piece of theatre, with an incredibly talented cast and an evocative and emotive soundtrack delivered with musical perfection, then this is one new piece of theatre that you need to see.

"The Stationmaster" is being performed at The Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Saturday 17 December.