Metro (by Linette Doherty) – 2010 Toronto Fringe Review

By Crystal Wood

Metro is the kind of show that will leave you bouncing in your seats.  It’s all fast-paced choreography and young, energetic dancers who clearly love what they’re doing.  And it shows.

The production is made up of 9 different pieces, and centres around the idea of all the people that you can run into on the subway.  I appreciated this, as some dance shows seem to forget that dance can tell a story.  Metro does just that, and does it well.

Throughout the show, you’ll meet the jaded 9-to-5 commuters, the subway preacher, the scared woman travelling alone at night, and those annoying kids making out on the subway.  Anyone who has ever ridden on the TTC (that would be most of us) will personally identify with a few of the scenarios onstage.

The young performers do many styles of dance, from contemporary to hip hop and tap.  My favourite pieces included “Train’s A Comin’” because I’m a sucker for tap dance, “Saved” because it was both funny and moving, and “Doowhatchalike,” the high-energy finale.  The “Yes We Can: Barack Obama Suite” was an inspiring piece about how strangers can come together over a shared experience, although I wonder if Canadians are the best audience for it.  (I guess political optimism is universal?)  But if I only had one criticism to make, it would be the 30 seconds of empty stage between each of the numbers.  It drags down the energy that the routines work so hard to create.

Metro would be a great show to take kids to (But note that it is not part of FringeKids.)  Just be prepared that your kids might be asking for dance lessons afterwards.

Details:

– Venue 4, Bathurst Street Theatre, 739 Bathurst Street.
– Showtimes:
Sun, July 4 3:30 PM
Mon, July 5 10:30 PM
Wed, July 7 1:45 PM
Thu, July 8 9:15 PM
Sat, July 10 2:15 PM
Sun, July 11 5:15 PM
– All individual Fringe tickets are $10 at the door (cash only). Tickets are available online at www.fringetoronto.com, by phone at 416-966-1062, or in person at The Randolph Centre for the Arts, 736 Bathurst Street (Advance tickets are $11 ($10+$1 convenience fee)
– Several money-saving passes are available if you plan to see at least 5 shows

Photo of Linette Doherty and Gary Lucich by Courtney Hogan