Writer: Emilie Robson
Director: Maria Crocker
For the uninitiated, the Metro is an integral part of the North East’s public transport system, an underground/overground train system connecting large parts of Newcastle since 1980. It’s also a great place to people-watch and (especially on a Saturday night) is home to a whole lot of drama.
Local writer Emilie Robson has used this as a basis for Dogs on the Metro, a play that won the inaugural North East Playwriting Award in 2023, and as a result is now enjoying a brilliantly realised production at Live Theatre.
This two-hander follows Jen and Dean, two teenagers whose close friendship barely covers a mutual attraction, and whose adventures together seem limited to going to parties and riding the Metro together. It’s here (and at Newcastle Airport, one of the many stops on the line) that they people-watch and make up stories of who these strangers are and where they are going. They also love to see dogs riding the Metro, and ponder if these animals have any awareness of where they are travelling to, a position that they themselves may also be in as they journey into their unknown futures.
Presented in a series of flashbacks that bounce around the course of their entire relationship, the play features a good use of narration from the two characters, one often correcting the other to point out what actually happened. This unreliable narration and Robson’s excellent use of teasing out the story in small pieces over the 60 minute running time creates a riveting hour of pure theatre where complicated sets and costumes are passed over for simplicity, allowing the writing and the strong performances to shine.
Dogs on the Metro goes to some very dark places, and refuses to offer any easy answers. The challenge of presenting two close friends who also have unspoken issues between them is brilliantly handled by Dean Logan and Sarah Balfour. Logan’s Dean is enthusiastic and immature, excited about their journeys but also very protective over Jen, offering to walk her home from the station. Following his lead turn in Gerry and Sewell, Logan gives another finely nuanced performance of a boy on the cusp of adulthood and struggling with what that all means. There is no doubt that Logan is destined for great things, as is Balfour who arguably has the tougher role of Jen, a mess of emotions who is trying to make sense of her relationship with Dean but whose answer to any tricky situation is to threaten to get off at the next stop: its a beautifully natural performance. The pair has an obvious chemistry and are more than capable of handling the challenges of portraying the characters at several different stages in their lives and relationship, including quick costume changes, and while never leaving the stage.
Maria Crocker’s direction fantastically manages to be absorbing despite the entire play being two people on a train. Subtle changes to the layout of the seats in Amy Watts’ simple but authentic-looking set keep things interesting and Crocker has the actors use them to create different performance levels. This is fully complimented by impressively realistic sound design by Matthew Tuckey and imaginative lighting by Drummond Orr.
Dogs on the Metro is an extremely strong piece and this production enhances that with first-rate performances, direction and technical support. It’s perfectly packaged as a one hour, one act play, and while that may limit what will happen with it in the future, it certainly is an impressive calling card for writer Robson, director Crocker, actors Balfour and Logan, and absolutely everyone else involved. It will be exciting to see what destination their journeys will take them to next.
Runs until 17th May 2025
The Reviews Hub Score
Riveting
