8 hours ago
5
E Nesbit’s The Railway Children has enjoyed national treasure status since it was published in 1906. The author, a prominent member and co-founder of the Fabian Society, fashioned an absorbing storyline, equal parts innocence and mystery, while subtly suggesting that the British establishment is not always to be trusted. Now, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Rachael Hewer have turned it into an opera, if not quite for children, then definitely of appeal to a broad family audience. By relocating the action to the 1980s they’ve shaken off the musty clouds of nostalgia that hover around its pages.
Rachael Hewer’s forthright libretto is dramatically effective, though it becomes disjointed towards the end (a chorus celebrating the colour of paint representative of the national railway network feels like it wandered in from another show). For the most part, however, it possesses a fast-paced John le Carré meets the Famous Five vibe, nicely mirrored by Stephen Langridge’s lithe-limbed production. Nicky Shaw’s versatile set, lit with pinpoint precision by Mark Jonathan, employs an open and shut camera effect that shifts the action from government office to station platform in the twinkling of an eye. Costumes range from Cold-War chic to 1980s baggy, and in case you still don’t get it, props include a Rubik’s Cube.
Turnage’s energetic score, handsomely realised by conductor Tim Anderson and the Glyndebourne Sinfonia, bristles with motoric effects (the composer cites Richard Rodney Bennett’s soundtrack to Murder on the Orient Express as an influence). Train noises prove fertile ground, underpinning scene changes and doing duty as a metaphor for emotional tension in general. Shifting strings, harp and flute colour more intimate moments while snippets from The Rite of Spring shadow the appearances of Tarpolski, the Russian dissident. Vividly scored, the averted accident in the tunnel sounds more convincing than it looks.
The cast is strong all round, especially Jessica Cale, Matthew McKinney and Henna Mun who are entirely believable as the three children. With her soft-grained soprano, Cale conveys Bobbie’s awakening sense of responsibility as well as her mounting adolescent angst. McKinney is an enjoyably gangly Peter; Mun is cute as a button as Phyllis, who is convinced the whole story is really about her.
Rachael Lloyd and Edward Hawkins share a powerful bond as parents Cathy and David, their mutual activities as whistleblowers given greater prominence here than in the book. Gavan Ring makes an endearing Mr Perks, James Cleverton lends authority to underwritten deus ex machina, Sir Tommy Crawshaw, and Bethany Horak-Hallett keeps us guessing as the devious Yolanda.
The evening, however, belongs to Turnage. The Railway Children may not feel quite as effortless as his recent adaptation of Festen, but it’s a commendable addition to the operatic canon nonetheless.
