Synopsis:

Mike Kenny's imaginative stage adaptation of E. Nesbit's much-loved children's classic.

Famously filmed, this story of a prosperous Edwardian family – mother and three children – forced into near-penury in the rural north of England captures the anxieties and exhilarations of childhood with great tenderness and insight. As Mike Kenny says of his remarkably faithful adaptation, ‘You don’t need a real train to perform this play … the most powerful prop is the imagination of the audience, the most effective tool the skill of the actors.’ So this version of The Railway Children, which offers three plum roles for young performers, is eminently suitable for schools, youth theatres and drama groups – anywhere, in fact, where the cry of ‘Daddy! My Daddy!' is likely to provoke a tear.

'This glorious adaptation ... profoundly moving ... it never for a moment runs out of steam' – Guardian

'Mike Kenny’s adaptation shows his mastery of playwriting for children and families ... adults and children alike are enthralled by the clever mix of imagination and reality' – Financial Times

'Mike Kenny has sensibly kept tinkering to a minimum, introducing just one clever tweak whereby the three children are presented as adults looking back on their younger selves. This device works splendidly, allowing the familiar scenes to be elegantly sculpted and giving rise to the occasional humorous aside that wryly acknowledges the gap between hindsight and lived experience' – Evening Standard