Who can you trust and how are you to know who to trust? This question is at the heart of a chilling drama staged this week in Newcastle.
There seems to be a trend for films being transferred to the stage - it used to be the other way around - and having enjoyed Rain Man recently I was intrigued to see how The Girl on the Train would fare.
I enjoyed both Paula Hawkins' bestselling book and the Dreamworks film, starring Emily Blunt as Rachel, the title role. Now the stage adaptation of what is an utterly gripping tale can be seen at Newcastle 's Theatre Royal .
Rachel is played by Samantha Womack, well known from her TV roles as Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders and Mandy in Game On - back when she was Samantha Janus - and though I found her booze-ridden character of the first half rather flat, she does not disappoint her fans.
Without spoiling any twists and turns - and there are plenty to enjoy - I can say that the play follows Rachel as, from her commuter train, she daily glimpses an apparently ideal couple in their home.
Oliver Farnworth, who is best known for playing Andy Carver in Coronation Street plays Scott with Kirsty Oswald as his partner, Megan Hipwell. Both are convincing characters who gradually reveal more as the story progresses.
Adam Jackson-Smith is likeable Tom Watson and Lowenna Melrose is his smug second wife Anna Watson. John Dougall is DI Gaskill, a canny Scot with a sense of humour, and Naeem Hayatt plays therapist Kamal Abdic. His big scenes with Rachel are staged with the pair facing into the audience, but I confess I would have liked more obvious interaction between the two.
They are joined by Philippa Flynn and Matt Concannon in all other parts.
The staging is inventive, with the structure of the book echoed in projections of the days of the week on parts of the set. A very scruffy kitchen is the predominant set and it shuffles regularly on and off stage. I enjoyed the brilliantly lit drunken episode, and dramatic crime scene when a body - oh yes, there's a body - is found.
The music, sound effects and lighting really set the atmosphere so that you are alternately creeped out, startled or saddened.
It is very "stagey", and obviously needs to have a few differences from its book and film incarnations, but that helps to keep it interesting if you are familiar with the story - or if you gradually remember it during the play, as my companion did.
Produced by Simon Friend, Amblin Entertainment and Josh Andrews, the play is directed by Anthony Banks with designs by James Cotterill.
The Girl on the Train is at Newcastle Theatre Royal until Saturday, May 4. Tickets available online or by calling the box office on 08488 112121.
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