Edinburgh Fringe 2024
The Signalman
Paragon Theatre Collective
Genre: Adaptation, New Writing, Solo Play
Venue: Zoo Venues
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Adaptations of classic literature often walk a tightrope between staying true to the original and offering something new. The Signalman, a solo performance based on Charles Dickens’ ghost story, directed by Sam Raffal and performed by Tim Larkfield, is an intriguing example of this balancing act. The production sets out to bring Dickens’ final completed work to the stage, a tale that delves into themes of trauma, guilt, and the supernatural.
Review
Adaptations of classic literature often walk a tightrope between staying true to the original and offering something new. The Signalman, a solo performance based on Charles Dickens’ ghost story, directed by Sam Raffal and performed by Tim Larkfield, is an intriguing example of this balancing act. The production sets out to bring Dickens’ final completed work to the stage, a tale that delves into themes of trauma, guilt, and the supernatural.
The story, written by Dickens after surviving the Staplehurst Railway disaster of 1865, is thought to be at least partially inspired by the author’s own brush with death. The adaptation places the signalman, haunted by both a ghostly figure and the memories of a catastrophic train crash, at the heart of this chilling narrative. It’s a solo show where Larkfield’s portrayal of the signalman is central, his character caught in a web of fear and uncertainty as he tries to decipher the warnings of the spectre.
The staging is minimalist, suggestions of a rural railway station with the signalman diligently sweeping the platform at the start, a silent witness to the aftermath of a horrific accident. The use of sound effects and period songs creates an evocative atmosphere that grounds the audience in the Victorian era, even as the language of the script updates the story to more modern sensibilities. For some, this modernisation of Dickens’ text will be a welcome accessibility; for others, it may lose the distinct Gothic flavour that characterizes much of Dickens’ work.
The decision to update the language is a bold one, given the period setting. It does create occasional dissonances, such as the use of ‘passed’, a rather modern euphemism for dying which take us out of the moment and the drama of the Signalman’s increasing fear and descent into madness.
Larkfield brings a careful tension to his role, holding the audience as he teeters on the edge of psychological collapse.
The Signalman is an interesting take on Dickens, offering a new perspective on an often-overlooked ghost story. Yet, in its attempt to modernise and make the narrative accessible, it loses some of the eerie charm that makes Dickens’ original so compelling. A strong production, but one that might leave you longing for a bit more of the darkness that only Dickens’ own words can conjure.
