The Railway Children review

Edith Nesbit's The Railway Children is a story that should need little introduction. The delightful, yet emotional, children's story follows youngsters Roberta, Peter and Phyllis following the arrest of their father. Mark Anthony Turnage  and librettist Rachel Hewer adapt the tale into an exciting new opera.  

I must admit, I have no particular fondness for the instrumental compositions I heard previously from Turnage. But clearly he has a gift for opera (this being the composer behind the Olivier award-winning Festen). The Railway Children features a small ensemble and is semi-staged, but punches well above its weight. The video design is broadly insignificant, but clearly picks up the slack where a more ambitious set design would have otherwise immersed and provided greater understanding.

A slight oversight in my opinion: no surtitles. Even with the quality projection of vocalists I cannot quite make out all the words from near the back of the Queen Elizabeth hall - The Southbank Centre has never been known for its quality acoustics. That said, the occasional lost word did not impair me, as someone with only a fleeting memory of the originally story, and a hasty brushing up on the plot by way of Wikipedia, I found the story easy to follow. 

Musically The Railway Children is detailed and rambunctious. I love the frenzied and frantic writing for the low woodwinds, it is simply brilliant. Turnage manages to showcase the duality of the trombone. One the one hand creating loud, violent, crackling textures, but on the other, using mutes to manipulate the sound into something of whimsy, amping up and adding to the existing comic elements of the story. 

There are some foley-like elements of the music that elude to the train motion, the whistle of the station master, and the timpani becoming the knocking of the policeman. Rhythmic string and harp pizzicatos create great intensity. I must also give due credit to the percussionist, always the most overworked member of any ensemble, perhaps more so on this occasion than any other. 

I find The Railway Children fairly approachable on the whole, and Turnage utilises dissonance only where necessary. I think a younger and non-traditional opera crowd - of which there were a few in - would not be too scared off by this production. Though The Railway Children has the problem I would levy at most opera: minimal repetition and memorability, with only a more riff-like refrain in the piano the exception. 

Mathew McKinney (playing Peter) is a great vocalist, as is Rachel Lloyd who plays the mother. The Girls' vocals had a light “pop” lilt to them, but this works well when the characters are of a younger and more playful disposition. I greatly appreciated some of the singing in regional accent, as performed by Gavan Ring. 

The slight slump in the opera for me is the where the spy, Mr Tarpolski, is introduced. There is a conversation that is implied to be in a different language, but it is actually spoken (sung) in English. It requires a suspension of disbelief that does not quite work for me.

The clothing is somewhat modern, or slightly off period. I do find this kind of works for the children, being the new generation with their colorful clothes. No petticoats to wave down the train in this version, but instead red football tops they are gifted. Phyl is wearing all three and has to be coaxed in to handing them over so that they can be fashioned into rudimentary flags.

Bobby gets all the emotional scenes be it the despair in the “what have you done?” at the start of the second act or encouraging herself to self-sacrifice in order to stop the train. There are also these dream-like scenes where the voice of her dad comes to her: early on heartbreaking, but by the end of he play joyous - this time it is really him. 

I did not necessarily get much value from the passengers singing. The chorus sound the best near the end, but this is certainly the most cheesy part - flag waving celebrations of the children and the bridge. Phyl actually hands her flag to the conductor (music not train) during this scene, again showcasing her playful character. 

Overall Turnage's The Railway Children is an adaptation which is equal parts wholesome and daring, and his unique take on this family favourite is something of a delight. ★★★★☆