The Ghost Train: Darlington Civic Theatre

BILLED as a classic comedy thriller, this vintage item was written by Arnold Ridley, perhaps better known to us as Godfrey in Dad’s Army. It’s set in 1925, at a remote railway station in a torrential thunderstorm late at night. Enter a handful of passengers who have missed their connection thanks to someone pulling the communication cord on the train and, faced with the prospect of spending the night in the unwelcoming waiting room, they lose no time in letting rip at the perpetrator.

This is where the comedy comes in; the character of Teddie Deakin is eccentric to say the least. He explains that he stopped the train because his hat blew away, and he lost his hat because he stuck his head out of the window. Ostracised by his companions, he scoffs loudly at the story told by the Stationmaster (Jeffrey Holland) of a haunting likely to occur that night, the 20th anniversary of a train crash at the station. It involves a red warning light, signal bells ringing and to look upon the ghost train rushing through means certain death.

The dialogue is rather reminiscent of a radio show of my early childhood called Dick Barton – Special Agent; melodramatic declarations loaded with meaning and frightfully decent chaps trying to keep the ladies calm. Jo Castleton as Julia Price is a riot as her hysteria adds fuel to the flames, but at no time can this play be described as thrilling.

* Runs Until Saturday. Box Office: 01325-486555 or darlingtoncivic.co.uk

Sue Heath