The Girl on the Train makes it to the platform of Milton Keynes Theatre tomorrow, stopping in town for a five-day stay of first class gripping entertainment.
This international phenomenon has been adapted from Paula Hawkins' colossal hit page-turner, which has sold in excess of 20 million copies.
Laura Whitmore stars as Rachel Watson during its new city stop off, with Edward Harrison in the role of Tom Watson.
Tom's extensive stage career has taken him into the West End and onto Broadway, and he has played some of the UK's most renowned stages with shows including A Christmas Carol, Henry V, Jekyll & Hyde, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
On stage, he has appeared in Queenie, Doctor Who and Eastenders, and his film CV includes Last Train to Christmas and Disenchanted.
He talked with Total MK about all things theatre...
Tell us about your first memory of the theatre
Pantomime, of course! Specifically, the great John Inman in Mother Goose at Nottingham Theatre Royal. I do remember thinking I didn’t want to be one of the kids dragged on stage - I was incredibly shy.
And the moment you realised theatre was your calling
Probably a school trip watching Our Country’s Good in Cambridge. It seemed superhuman what the actors were doing and I was mesmerised.
Any dreadful calamities, or funny happenings on stage you would care to share with us?
I played (another) Tom in The Norman Conquests by Alan Ayckbourn where characters are having lunch. He is on the spare (very low) chair and it was so stupid in an otherwise tense scene that the first time we got through it was the first preview…
Which stage actor, living or dead, would you most like to meet, and what question would you ask them?
Okay not a stage actor as such but Robin Williams. No questions. I’d throw my arms around him.
Do you have any superstitions, or pre-performance routines?
I like to see the other actors before we meet each other onstage. For some reason, I find it really distracting if not!
The best piece of advice given to you when you started in the business
Love the art in yourself, not yourself in the art.
How do you fill your spare time while on tour
I stick a podcast in and walk walk walk. I’ll then drink my weight in coffee and people watch.
Nerves or excitement? Which takes over just before the curtain rises?
Nervecitement
How can the future of theatre be safeguarded?
By programming diverse work, nurturing new writers and keeping a reign on ticket prices.
You've worked extensively in theatre. Which stage have you been most proud to step onto, and why?
Wolf Hall on Broadway was an absolute dream. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. The community there is so supportive and fun.
An obvious question to finish with - what makes The Girl on the Train so special? Why should we come and see it?
I think the sense of shared anticipation in a theatre is exciting. A whole room holding their breath or communal gasps as pennies drop and plots thicken.
If you know the book you can enjoy how it translates to the stage. If it’s completely new, enjoy an intense whodunit whydunit. Come!
> The Girl On The Train opens at Milton Keynes Theatre tomorrow (Tuesday) and runs through to Saturday.
Book your seat here: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-girl-on-the-train/milton-keynes-theatre/
