The first thing that catches the attention in this production of “The Signalman” from Middle Ground Theatre Company is the superb set, Michael Lunney’s design perfectly evoking the solitary life of Chris Walker’s Signalman, the eerie quiet of the night colliding with the comforting warmth of the cosy signal house. Charles Dickens’ short story is adapted for the stage by Francis Evelyn, no easy feat given that the original tale is shy of 30 pages. The result is a tense thriller that slowly builds to a devastating climax, small in scale yet offering a beautiful exploration of a lonely character devoted to his work whilst battling inner demons.
Chris Walker portrays the titular signalman, who spends his nights alone in the signal house, ensuring that trains are diverted appropriately and disasters are averted. Walker’s signalman is old and frail, his movements slow yet precise, and his clear dedication to his job is immediately endearing. The signalman is visited by a traveller (John Burton), who joins him in the signal house to tell ghost stories, and provide a sounding board for the signalman’s fears. Burton is a master storyteller – the scenes that he and Walker share together are very still yet utterly engrossing, the two gentleman sat sharing a cup of tea and scaring each other to death with their ghoulish tales. Evelyn’s script has a poetic quality to it, which Burton delivers expertly. His story, which recalls a time the Traveller encountered a supernatural being on the outskirts of a jungle, is supported by Lynette Webster’s sound design, which features the buzzing of insects and the faint beat of tribal drums, which helps to set the audience’s imagination alight.
The second act sees Walker take the reins in the storytelling. Walker is more animated in his recounting, throwing his arms wide and pacing around the signal house which can be a little distracting from the narrative, yet helps to liven things up a little. Parts of the tale can be a bit slow, and feels repetitive in sections – the second act begins with Walker summarising events from the end of the first act for the Traveller’s benefit, although the audience have seen all this occur a mere twenty minutes before. It begs the question whether a short story such as “The Signalman” benefits from a full two-act adaptation, when parts of the relatively short play (1 hour 45 including interval) feel drawn out and unnecessary.
The Signalman is convinced he is being haunted by a ghost, and posits that this could be due to several accidents that have occurred on his section of the railway. The Traveller tries to reassure him that there is no such thing, and yet unexplainable events keep occurring – books flying off the shelves, the door randomly blowing open. The special effects here leave a little to be desired, and David Moulder’s projection CGI doesn’t work quite as well as one would hope, but it does not hinder one’s enjoyment of the tale too much. Bob Hodges’ lighting design is suitably atmospheric, and sweeping lights give the sense of a passing steam train without the need for a prop – although the stage manager goes a little wild with the smoky haze. Microphones feel a bit unnecessary given that the actors’ voices carry well enough in the space without them, and instead serve to mostly pick up the actors’ footsteps, which can prove distracting.
There are supporting turns from Bruce Chattan, as an innkeeper whose inclusion feels a little unnecessary but offers some light relief amidst the heavy narrative, James Morley as an inspector and Adam Mort as train driver Tom. Morley and Mort appear in the final scene, and both offer a satisfying conclusion to the piece, with Mort putting in a particularly emotional performance as a man who has been shaken by recent events. Burton’s reactions here feel a little out-of-character, a bit too over-the-top and melodramatic, especially given that he is not all that close with the Signalman (the entire play takes place over the space of a few days).
And yet it all comes back to the set design, which makes this play a visual feast from start to finish. The stage is split in two, with the left side taken up by railway tracks and a bridge, and the right the signal house in which most of the action takes place. The attention to detail here is immense, with the design based on examples found at Didcot Railway Centre Oxfordshire and the Severn Valley Railway Kidderminster. It is this design that makes the play completely immersive. When the door blows open and the sound design is filled with the roar of the wind, you may be forgiven for feeling a chill and pulling your jumper closer around you.
For fans of ghost stories or Dickens, this will be a treat, and what better time of year to enjoy this than on cold January nights. What this production lacks in spectacle, it more than makes up for in quiet, calculated character study, offering a fascinating glimpse into a world now lost to the past. Tense, taut and completely captivating.
Tom Morley, January 2026
Review round-up:
Northern Arts Review: The Signalman – 4 and a half stars from Northern Arts, who were fans of the steady rise in tension, saying “silence is one of the most powerful tools in a sound designer’s belt, and [this productions let] quiet moments stretch just a beat past comfort”
Theatre & Tonic: The Signalman – 4 stars from T&T, who say “the production is undeniably gothic” but “the tension never fully accumulated”
Get the Chance: The Signalman – Another 4 star review, who say “this is a magnificent re-telling of a lesser-known Dickens fable which builds a fantastically formidable atmosphere throughout, by way of character, set, costume, lighting, sound, and special effects”
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