The Little Theatre, Hebden Bridge, enters the festive season with a production of the Railway Children, adapted for the stage by D. Simpson from E.Nesbit’s classic children’s novel.
This well-known story is based on a family thrown into poverty after their father is wrongly accused of spying and is mysteriously arrested and put into jail.
Along with their mother, Roberta, Phyllis and Peter move to a cottage in Yorkshire where their lives revolve around the local railway.
In league with the local Perks children adventures ensue and as a result of their bravery and initiative a saviour comes to the their rescue in the guise of a gentleman they have befriended on the train and all’s well that ends well.
It was a very popular film starring Bernard Cribbins and Jenny Agutter and had a strong local appeal in that it was filmed using the Worth Valley Railway. Director Jenny Gore says: “It has taken some imagination to get a train on our small stage but there is enough heart-warming sentiment in the production to send audiences home with a warm seasonal glow inside.”
John Spooner makes a welcome debut with the society as Perks, who holds the play together as narrator.
Other adult parts are played by Gilly Walker, Hannah Stow, Vaughan Leslie, Phil Vaughan, Mark Hill, Gavin Roberts, Jacob Brown and Ray Riches. There are two casts of children playing on different nights - the ‘Red Team’ of Ella Farmer, Archie Dewis, Ella Spooner, Max Holmes, Eliot Wood, Alex Mogg-Wright, Katie Kemp, Rebecca Spooner and Emily Coates, and the ‘Blue Team’ of Emily Pickup, Joe Gaffney, Ellie Pickup, Oisin Pritchard, Kai Scott, Louis Graham, Ryley Nixon, Billie Robinson, Alice Cheesbrough-Heath and Poppy Cheesbrough-Heath.
The play runs from December 1-6 starting at 7.30pm with matinees on the final Saturday and Sunday starting at 2.30pm.
Tickets available on-line at hblt.org.uk or at Innovation, Hebden Bridge, in person or by telephoning 01422 843907.