The Signalman - Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

Based on the horror-mystery story by Charles Dickens, this play follows a traveller who encounters a signalman living and working at the mouth of an ominous tunnel. Over the course of several nights, the two men exchange sympathies, and the signalman confides that he is being haunted by spirits connected to past tragedies.

The production is set entirely along the stretch of railway track where the signalman resides, his small hut overlooking the line. While the set design is impressively intricate, the majority of the action unfolds in one corner of the stage, leaving much of the space underused. Though this choice may not have been inherently problematic, confining the production so tightly only served to emphasise its pacing issues.

Indeed, pacing proved to be the production’s Achilles’ heel. With much of the performance consisting of the two men seated inside the signal box engaged in conversation, there were limited moments of sustained tension or engagement. At times, the sense of horror felt so subdued that this reviewer found it necessary to revisit the source material afterwards to fully appreciate the genre of the piece. While I hesitate to use the word “blame,” as it can feel unnecessarily harsh when writing from behind a screen, the uneven direction did little to alleviate these challenges.

There were several moments where lines felt recited rather than lived, which unfortunately diminished the production’s dramatic impact. The lack of sustained tension often left the audience with a lingering sense of “is that it?” One particularly striking example occurs during a pivotal death scene. The actor stood on the tracks facing the oncoming train, and at the moment the collision was implied, rather than a blackout or a surge of light, the actor simply exited the stage. Of course, live theatre invites a certain visibility of its mechanics — a stage manager placing props or the occasional fleeting break in illusion is easily forgiven. However, when a moment so central to the narrative could have been elevated by techniques the production had already used so effectively elsewhere, its simplicity felt like a missed opportunity.

On a more positive note, the lighting and sound design were among the production’s most memorable strengths. The set featured a tunnel with projected train tracks, upon which supernatural figures occasionally appeared. As trains passed, the sound swelled convincingly, accompanied by flashes of intense light. These moments were cleverly executed and demonstrated the production’s technical capability, which made it all the more disappointing when such tools were not fully utilised at key dramatic junctures.

As readers of my previous reviews may know, I take little pleasure in offering criticism. I firmly believe that every production contains elements worthy of applause, and that is certainly true here. Yet there were moments when these strengths faltered, often precisely when they were most needed. I very much wanted to be transported by this performance; regrettably, it never quite reached its full potential.

Production Value: 30%

Value for Money: 30%

Personal Enjoyment: 30%

Overall Score: 30% - ⭐️⭐️ (2*)

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Show Information

Venue: Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Playing until: 7th March 2026

Run Time: 1h50min - including a 20-minute interval

Tickets for this venue can be book at the link here.