The Signalman

Charles Dickens

Middle Ground Theatre Company

Theatre Moondance,

Theatr Clwyd

Oct 28-Nov 12, 2025; 1 hr 40 mins

(also at Chester Storyhouse, February 3-7, 2026)

Chris Walker as the signalman and John Burton as the traveller in The Signalman

How do you convince a sceptic that a supernatural event has happened? This is a question central in Middle Ground's production of Charles Dickens' short story The Signalman.

In an isolated train station with little through traffic, the signalman experiences strange phenomena he struggles to explain, followed by the apparition of a ghostly figure on more than one occasion. A traveller on a walking tour passes the station and the signalman talks to him in an attempt to make sense of what he saw. The traveller suggests explanations such as coincidence or hallucination, neither of which the signalman accepts: surely there needs to be a supernatural cause? The sightings become more troublesome, since they occur prior to a disaster - in one case a train crash, in another the death of a woman on the line. Premonitions, perhaps?

The set, sound and lightning combine to produce an eerie, suspenseful atmosphere and Chris Walker as the signalman and John Burton as the traveller do a great job of ramping up the tension. There are plenty of things that go bump in the night, to keep us on the edge of our seat, ready for the ghost's appearance.

The set imposes limitations on stage movement. Though it portrays a lonely station well, much of the action is centred on the signal box, confining the actors to a small square, which makes the production quite static and wordy.

Dickens was writing at a time when there was a growth of interest in spiritualism, something that he used to his advantage in stories such as this one A Christmas Carol and Bleak House.  This story was written in 1866, five years after the Clayton Tunnel disaster, in which two trains collided in a railway tunnel. Dickens was also present on a train when it was derailed, killing 10 people and traumatising many, including himself. So clearly the story would resonate with him and many readers.

This is a thoughtful production, memorable for its atmosphere of tension and suspense.  It draws on human experience and questions whether the supernatural is real.  It also ponders on why distressing events happen to some individuals and not others, making this a worthwhile, thoughtful evening's entertainment.

More info and tickets here