The Railway Children - Altrincham Garrick

IMAGINE, if you can, a world in which railway stations were always staffed by a stationmaster, beef extract and brandy could be given as part of a treatment for flu and to be called a ‘brick’ is a real compliment.

Just in case, you’re wondering, the word ‘brick’ was also once used to describe a ‘generous, helpful and reliable person.’

While The Railway Children, first published as a book in 1906, has a distinctly old fashioned feel to it, like you would expect, this production left all the youngsters in the audience totally transfixed and devoid of any form of restlessness.

The story centres around three siblings and their mother who start a new life in a remote Yorkshire village after the sudden and mysterious disappearance of the father and husband they idolise.

We have Roberta, better known as Bobbie, the eldest and most sensible of the three, Phyllis, driven by endearing doses of impulsiveness and Peter, a stereotypical Edwardian boy often perplexed by the behaviour of the two girls,

Georgia Maddock, Portia Dodds and Jamie King prove you don’t always have to act your age and there’s an engaging and believable camaraderie between them even though they have their own very different personalities.

Jonathan Black and Jane Holdship play the parents perfectly and I challenge anyone not to warm to John Dudley as Albert Perks, who helps the children make their transition from living in the lap of luxury to a more simpler, albeit more exciting life.

Director Jonathan Barker’s production is a feel good triumph for all concerned and sound man James Merrington should \also take a bow when it comes to re-creating the awe inspiring appeal of the steam trains, a mode of transport that still enjoys a certain mystique to this day.

Until April 19. Performance dates and times vary and tickets are available from 0161 928 1677 or www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk.

Star rating - ****

Photo by Martin Ogden.