Last night I went to see The Railway Children staged in the old Eurostar terminal at Waterloo Station.

I loved the 1970s film as a child so the play had a lot to live up to.

The play is staged in flashback, with the grown-up children, Bobby, Phyllis and Peter reminiscing about how they became The Railway Children.

This has the advantage of allowing adult actors to play the children – and they do a good job, with Nicholas Bishop scarily childlike as Peter.

And using flashback acknowledges that most audience members will already know the ending of the story. So the focus of the play is more about how events happen (and for me, how they manage to stage them) then the end itself.

The staging was the most exciting aspect of the production. The audience were seated on two platforms on either side of the train tracks and the action took place in between.

Smoke, lighting, sound effects and moving platforms were all impressively used to create “trains” speeding along the track.

And of course, the big draw of this production is a 68-tonne steam train, the Stirling Single which chugs majestically onto the stage.

I couldn’t help comparing the play to the film, as I know it so well. So how did it measure up?

I thought the stage version captured a lot of the charm of the film but at times it was a bit too twee (too much tally-ho, “you’re a brick” type dialogue). And although it’s aimed at children, the audience don’t need to be asked to use their imagination at particular points in the play (we’re in the theatre, we’re already using it!)

I also wasn’t keen on Caroline Harker‘s portrayal of Mother. In the film, the mother was firm and “proper” but kind. The play didn’t manage any of that warmth and most of Harker’s dialogue involved her shouting at the children not to cry or ask questions.

But despite that, I really enjoyed The Railway Children. The inventive staging coupled with the unusual location make for a great night at the theatre.

If you do go, make sure you get there a few minutes early as there’s a miniature train (which children can ride in), an exhibition of photos from the film and information about The Railway Children charity in the foyer.

The Railway Children at Waterloo Station until 5 Sep 2010. Book tickets

Today I went back to the old Eurostar terminal at London’s Waterloo. It immediately brought back memories of boozy fashion press trips to Paris, when I worked in a different job…

This trip was much more wholesome. This summer, one of the old Eurostar platforms is being transformed into a stage. Above it, a huge tunnel-like canopy will keep most of the noise of the station out, and provide the backdrop for an exciting, site-specific children’s theatre show: The Railway Children.

The star of the show is Stirling Single, a real steam locomotive, which’ll appear from a tunnel at a dramatic moment, pulling a carriage, its pistons gleaming, atmospheric steam adding to the theatrical tension. I can’t wait.

Other sections of the old Eurostar station are being transformed for the show too. So while you’re waiting for the play to start, you can browse an exhibition all about E Nesbit’s original book, the history of the railways, the Railway Children Charity, and the setting of the play: Yorkshire.

While you might think older railway sites like Shunt at London Bridge would’ve been a better fit for a story published in 1906, I think The Railway Children Live at Waterloo Station will make excellent use of the space. And there’s certainly something to be said for using a more modern site: nightly audiences of around 900 will be able to choose from 1,800 Eurostar toilets! A luxury you don’t often get at the theatre in London…

It sounds like it’s going to be one of the family theatre events of the summer.

The Railway Children opens at the Waterloo Station Theatre on 4 July. Book your tickets now