Everyone always talks about the "girl" portrayed by Emily Blunt in the "The Girl on the Train" movie but the play — which opened at Lyric Arts Friday — would like to remind us there's another title character.
Bestseller 'Girl on the Train' roars onstage in Anoka
The Lyric Arts production uses sound effects to create the illusion of a train.
January 16, 2023 at 11:00AM
"The train is intrinsic to the whole production. It felt like it needed to be the heartbeat of the play," said director Anna Crace of "Train," in which Rachel, an alcoholic, is commuting when she believes she witnesses a crime. "It feels like the characters are on the track and can't get off, so we're working towards creating a lurch that begins every scene. Each scene is like a stop on the train line, so [Rachel is] kind of falling into each one."
That was one of the first decisions by Crace, who's also manager of new play development for Stages.
Most of the drama's scenes don't take place on a train but, in Rachel's distorted reality, it's all about the blurry vision that drives novelist Paula Hawkins' story: "I was thinking, also with her drinking, that she goes on this journey where it's a surprise to her every time she's in a scene, in the way you can be on a train and you're jolted back to reality."
Crace, who has lived in the United States for several years but still calls herself a Londoner, once considered commuting an intrinsic part of her life: "I actually remember reading [the book] during a commute back in the day — I moved here four years ago. And you do look out the window while you're on the train and imagine people's lives. It's quite normal."
What's not so normal? Figuring out how to put a train on stage.
It has been done, though. "On the Twentieth Century" is almost entirely set in a row of sleeper cabins and the opening of "The Music Man" is on a bumpy train. Chad van Kekerix's surreal Lyric Arts set incorporates subtle railroad tracks in unexpected places, but the train is mostly conceptual.
Crace hopes not having a train onstage allows audiences an entry point to the play. Seeing a specific British vehicle might make it trickier to imagine themselves on a train in Minnesota, she thinks. Although this "Girl" is still set in England, leaving the train to viewers' imaginations will allow them to envision whatever trains they remember.
"We have some [video] projections, but a lot of it will be through sound," said Crace. "The underscoring is the rumble of the train and, in moments where it's particularly high-intensity, we have the screeching of the tracks. At the end, it's hopefully a big surround sound of a train grinding to a halt."
Crace is well aware that even though "Girl on a Train" was a huge bestseller, adapting it has proved tricky. Despite Blunt and a big marketing push, the film disappointed critics and audiences.
"I rewatched it recently, when I was starting this production, and thought, 'Oh, my gosh, what even is this?'" recalled Crace. "I think they were trying to get in too many angles, and the narrative got confused. One thing that's interesting about the play, rather than the book and film, is you only follow Rachel."
The novel (and film) alternates between the viewpoints of three women, but Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel's adaptation sticks to Rachel, played by Lyric Arts newcomer Laura Baker.
Another challenge? It's easier to generate suspense in novels and movies, where creators can direct what audiences pay attention to, than in the theater, where audiences choose where on the stage they want to look.
Luckily, Crace likes to "play with technology," using sound and images to trigger memories for audiences. And, possibly, to counteract some recent memories.
"I've been saying the play is the perfect antidote to the Christmas season. I'm so holidayed out, so this is a nice, dark way to start the new year," she said.
No spoilers for those who haven't read the book or seen the film. But whether Rachel's story ends happily or not, Crace says audiences should be ready to go on a ride with her.
'The Girl on the Train'
Who: By Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel, adapted from Paula Hawkins' novel. Directed by Anna Crace.
When: 7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Feb. 5.
Where: Lyric Arts, 420 E. Main St., Anoka.
Tickets: $31-$39, 763-422-1838 or lyricarts.org.
Critics’ picks for entertainment in the week ahead.
