Preview: The Railway Children July 5 & 18-23

2:35pm Friday 4th July 2008

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TOMORROW afternoon’s screening of The Railway Children at City Screen, York, will be introduced by York playwright Mike Kenny, whose stage adaptation of E Nesbit’s story opens at the National Railway Museum, on July 18.

Voted in the BFI Top 100 British films of all time, the 1970 film version of The Railway Children tells the story of three children, Roberta, Peter and Phyllis, whose life changes when their father is mysteriously called away. Moving to the Yorkshire countryside, they live by the railway.

At 1.15pm tomorrow, Kenny will give a short talk on what to expect from the forthcoming stage show in an event that ties in with both York Theatre Royal’s production and the National Year of Reading celebrations in York.

City Screen is working with the Theatre Royal, the NRM and The Big Read. “York has gone Railway Children crazy,” says Tony Clarke, the City Screen manager. “We’re really pleased to be involved and this is a great opportunity to compare the classic film with the new adaptation.”

York Libraries and Penguin are to give away 2,000 copies of E Nesbit’s The Railway Children. Copies are available from the mobile library at St Sampson’s Square as part of the Learning Festival, as well as at York libraries, the Theatre Royal and the NRM, and at tomorrow’s screening.

Tickets for tomorrow cost £5 to £7.20 on 0871 704 2054. York Theatre Royal’s The Railway Children will run at the National Railway Museum from July 18 to August 23; box office 01904 623568.