Giovanna Fletcher to bring The Girl on the Train to Shrewsbury

Mum to three children and wife of McFly’s Tom Fletcher, Giovanna is a busy bee to say the least, successfully balancing her broad workload with being a devoted parent and spouse.

Infinitely likeable, she stormed to victory in the 2020 series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and is the popular host of parenting podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby, which has featured guests including the Princess of Wales.

A trained actress, Giovanna is an alumnus of many high profile West End productions, but most recently has been touring the stage adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train. 

Next week, she is bringing the celebrated psychological drama to Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn.

“The story follows a character called Rachel Watson,” said Giovanna. “We meet her at the start knowing that she’s at quite a difficult point in her life. She’s addicted to alcohol, she’s just lost her job, her marriage has fallen apart, and she hasn’t got the kids that she longed for. 

“But every day she gets on the train and she sees this couple who, in her mind, are just everything that she should have been and everything that she should have had.

“One day she sees one of the couple kissing someone else, and her world sort of falls apart.

“The next day, that woman goes missing. Rachel feels like she has had a part to play in it, but because of all the alcohol in her system she has regular blackouts. 

“She can’t remember her part in this disappearance, but she feels like there is one. So it’s about her sort of piecing everything together, and the audience are with her as she tries to do this.”

Made into a successful film starring Emily Blunt in 2016, The Girl On The Train was a New York Times best seller before it was ever adapted for stage or screen. 

The theatrical version has been well received for years, but what was it that attracted Mrs Fletcher to it?

“I had never read the book,” she recalls. “I remember the book coming out and it was on my to-be-read pile, because I was writing at the time, and I thought, ‘I’ll get round to that’, because everyone was talking about it. Then, for whatever reason, I just didn’t get around to it. 

Humour

“The film came out and I thought, ‘I can’t watch the film before I read the book’ – I’m quite a purist in that way! 

“So, basically, I hadn’t either read or watched it when the play landed, but I read the play and I just instantly loved it. 

“Rachel is such a messy, flawed character and, like with many people, she hides a lot of what she’s really feeling with humour. 

“But there’s just so much going on within her, and to meet her at the point in her life that we do is really gripping and to see what her life has become makes your heart ache for her.

“It was also that feeling of piecing things together. When I was reading the script I was like, ‘Ooohhh, I hadn’t seen that coming!’. It’s great storytelling, and that’s a big part of what drew me to it.”

During her time in the role of Rachel, Giovanna has deeply enjoyed both the audience’s reaction and the privilege of taking them on her character’s journey.

“It’s been really interesting,” she said. “Lots of laughs, which I think people are surprised by. As soon as the first laugh comes everyone sort of settles and thinks, ‘OK, we’re on this ride’.

“With the more intense moments it feels like everyone is just so still and trying to figure out what is going on – ‘Where is Megan?’, ‘What is Rachel’s part to play in it?’. So it feels like it’s a real joint journey with the audience, which has been fantastic. It’s one of those plays that’s thrilling to watch, but it’s also really thrilling to be in and to know that the audience are with you in that way. 

“It’s quite emotional for me every night in terms of the audience reaction. It’s something that I’ve absolutely loved.”

Giovanna’s acting career has been varied, including turns in 2:22 A Ghost Story and Everybody's Talking About Jamie. So how has her experience in The Girl On The Train compared to other productions?

“Some plays I’ve done have been similar,” she said. “But Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, for example, was very different. It was a musical, I was in heels every night on tables! 

“This is very different, but both are amazing. Both capture audiences in totally different ways but the audiences are totally with each of them. 

“I think back to curtain calls with Jamie when everyone was up on their feet, clapping along and dancing along, and that’s electrifying in a very different way. 

“I just think that theatre is brilliant though, and I think it’s that thing of having a collective and having people together to go on this journey with. To take them through this story is such a powerful thing.”

Giovanna will soon be saying goodbye to the role of Rachel, handing the part over to EastEnders star Louisa Lytton. To do so, however, will be bittersweet.

“I’ve got a few weeks left before I hand the baton over to Louisa – who after her run will hand it over to Laura Whitmore – and it’s been the most amazing experience. I have felt grief for finishing this play.

“To see elderly women up on their feet at the end when we’re tackling big topics like coercive control and self worth has been amazing. 

“The heart of this play touches massive themes and topics that some generations typically won’t have spoken about. To give those topics a voice on stage has been an incredible thing to do.”

So the big question is, what’s next?

“Basically me and Tom are tag-teaming, so I come home and he goes away,” said Giovanna. 

“I was very lucky that we were able to record the podcast as we’ve been going, but I need to get back onto the podcast, and hopefully start writing again, but I’m also just looking forward to being at home with the kids. 

“Tour life is demanding. It’s amazing in the sense that you get to go away and that’s your focus while you’re away, but it is also really tricky with having three young kids at home that also need that time with their mum. 

“I feel so lucky that we are able to make it work, but the thought of going home to my greenhouse and being with the kids is lovely and lets me breathe. Coming home makes you very grateful for what you have.”

She may love being at home, but the sky remains the limit for Giovanna, who is well on her way to becoming a national treasure.

For anyone looking to follow in her footsteps as a creative professional, her advice is very simple.

“Always have something that you just love doing,” she said. 

“I’ve done lots of different jobs, but the time that I’ve been happiest has always been when I’ve been taking on jobs that feed my soul as well. 

"And always remember never to put your life on hold; you’ve got to make sure that you’re living it.” Excited to be bringing The Girl On The Train to Shrewsbury, Giovanna promises all in attendance a night they won’t forget.

“We’ve got eight shows coming up at Theatre Severn, and an extra Friday performance has been added because the others have sold so well, which is amazing,” she said.

“Everyone should come and see The Girl On The Train because it’s a great night of theatre. 

“It’s thrilling, it’s captivating, and it’s one for anyone who wants a fantastic bit of entertainment that keeps you on the edge of your seat.”

The Girl On The Train will play at Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn from Tuesday, March 11, to Saturday, March 15. 

For tickets, visit theatresevern.co.uk