Ghost Train crosses the (railway) line

THE GHOST TRAIN, Royal Exchange, Manchester, to June 20

THERE’s a fine line between funny and overdoing it, and occasionally this Told By An Idiot production for the Exchange crosses that line.

Arnold Ridley’s (yes, “Dad’s Army’s” Private Godfrey) early-1920s comedy was a long-running mystery thriller in its day but over the years, thanks to its spiffing-yarns style and rather quaint characters, language and situation, has become more of an ironic comedy.

TBAI takes the play and pretty much throws the feel of the show out of the window in the name of silliness, occasionally stopping back by the mystery and thriller elements to see how they’re doing.

The one thing that is retained — at least for the first few minutes — is the extraordinary chart of special effects sounds listed in the original play text, from the clank of the approaching steam engine to the sound of shoes on the station waiting room’s wooden floor.

Perhaps a recap, since few will have seen this show done professionally.

A silly ass has pulled the communication cord in a remote Cornish location, which means the connecting train has been missed and the passengers, stranded, must stay in the room all night. Before he leaves, the station master tells them of the ghostly train and of death to those who see it.

It’s a dark and stormy night and the passengers don’t much get on — especially when the slightly mad Julia Price arrives with her husband and the world’s worst doctor.

Originally the mystery was all about the train and whether or not it existed; here the mystery is pretty much pushed to the background in favour of the silly sound effects (dropped within a few minutes for no obvious reason); the ironic portrayals of character — something akin to Wodehouse, or Buchan in his lighter moments; the use of familiar elements from movies, and so on.

The trouble is all this admittedly at times hilarious stuff gets left behind toward the end of the first act, when the tedium level rises dramatically.

The cast works hard and generally well, though I hated the unfunny parrot — another example of a simple joke carried way beyond its limit.

If they didn’t try so hard to be funny, the show would be even funnier.