Review by Emma
Two strangers – Guy Haines and Charles Bruno – meet on a train and concoct a plan where each will murder the other's enemy. While Guy initially dismisses the idea, Bruno takes it seriously, and Guy finds himself entangled in a dangerous situation when Bruno kills his wife.
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| The cast of Strangers On A Train. Photo by Jonathan Pryke |
It’s remarkably hard to write a review when every part of the production is outstanding, but I’ll do my best!
Director Martin Bell has delivered again, and this time it’s a claustrophobic, gripping play with mounting tension and suspense. Each scene and move is tightly directed and plotted; in other plays this could present a problem, but in a script like this the directing needs to be as clinical as possible. Each cast member delivers a memorable performance, and nobody is over or under acting; each actor is exactly what you need them to be.
Keir Watson plays Charles Bruno, a complicated (and clearly psychopathic) man, filled with big ideas and a strong devotion to his mother. Watson has command of every scene he’s in, and the tension ratchets up just another notch with every sentence. There are definitely some loose wires here, as Bruno takes the murder plot a bit more seriously than anyone should, but you still feel some sympathy for the man as his entire life unravels around him, leading to a deadly conclusion. Watson takes an unlikeable character (on paper, anyway) and somehow makes him more three dimensional and multi-faceted; he completely inhabited the manipulative Bruno to great effect, with each element being skilfully nuanced.
Bruno’s adversary, Guy Haines, is played with style and aplomb by Michael King. Of the two men, Haines is the sympathy vote; he only wanted shot of his philandering ex-wife – perhaps not even permanently – but with Bruno making all the decisions, Haines is swept along into a deadly game he never asked to play. King plays the part with naivety, charm and polish. It’s very realistic in portraying the difficulties of resisting a powerful and manipulative personality, and how one can get drawn, irresistibly, down a path one doesn’t want to go.
The supporting actors were all equally well cast. Laura Brookes (as Haines’ new wife, Anne Faulkner) and Karen Gordon (as Bruno’s mother, Elsie) in particular are outstanding. Brookes gives a delightful depiction of an innocent bride and wife, who could, when pressed, stand up for herself, bringing an essential lightness to balance what is a dark play. Gordon tackles the role of Elsie head on; she’s fully supportive of her son, at least until he goes too far by her standards. Their relationship is a weird one; it’s not comedic, not in the slightest, but it strangely lightens the mood a little. Gordon is fantastic as the needy, out-for-a-good-time, and emotionally manipulative mom.
Further credit must be given to the remaining cast members; Joe Middleton gives a competent performance as Frank Myers, Haines’ fellow architect; Joff Brown turns in a delightful one-scene cameo as Treacher, Haines’ oldest friend and best man; and David Lovell is suitably sinister as Arthur Gerard, a private investigator who is hot on Bruno’s trail.Personally, he play could have done with more of this character: Gerard’s dismantling of the criminal conspiracy brought a counterpoint and balance to the powerful sense of malice and psychopathy.
This play is very complex in that it has to present multiple locations in a short space of time; lengthy scene changes would slow everything down. The set design is very utilitarian; minack boxes and rostra in colours of grey, black and white cleverly come together to present a train carriage, a house and a railyard, among other. The lighting and sound are spot on; Jenny Harding and Martin Scott have designed a lighting plot that subtly illuminates (no pun intended) the malevolence of Bruno’s character in comparison to the warmer, brighter colours for Haines and Faulkner. The sound design by Amanda Priestley is outstanding, blending recognisable sounds (trains, creaky steps) and more generic “suspense music” to create the perfect film noir background for the play. While the cast are incredible, the technical aspects of this play are what make it really worth watching.
With sharp dialogue, shocking twists and a masterclass between acting and tech, Martin Bell has delivered one of the best plays of the year and, indeed, one of the best plays I have seen at the Little.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Strangers On A Train plays at The Little Theatre in Leicester from Monday 16th until Saturday 21st June 2025. Tickets are available from https://thelittletheatre.co.uk/whats-on/strangers-on-a-train/
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