A life-sized replica of a Metro train in its iconic yellow livery has been wowing audiences at Newcastle’s Live Theatre.
The mocked-up version of the original Metro prototype, carriage 4001, in its familiar 1980s colour scheme, is the centrepiece for Gerry and Sewell, a play which tells the story of two Gateshead lads who are desperate to see their team, Newcastle United, play at home.
The Metro brand’s prominence in the play underscores its social and cultural importance to the region.
The Metro train, along with its famous Metro logo and station cube, make up the set for Gerry and Sewell, a production which has won rave reviews.
First told in Jonathan Tulloch’s book, The Season Ticket, then in 2000’s film Purely Belter, the tale of two lads from the wrong side of the Metro tracks who will do whatever it takes to bag a pair of passes to St James’ Park has written itself into the cultural almanac of the North East.
Customer Services Director at Nexus, Huw Lewis said: “It’s fantastic to see the iconic yellow Metro train providing the backdrop at Live Theatre Newcastle for this latest stage production.
“Metro is such a famous and well-known local brand, which is part of every day life in North East England. The life-sized Metro carriage looks great on the stage. The set designers, and the team that built it, have done an outstanding job.
“We were thrilled when we saw that our train had been brought to life in the play, along with our familiar logo and iconic Metro station cube. It seems to be going down really well with the audiences just as much as the play itself.”
Set towards the end of Mike Ashley’s turbulent Toon tenure, and under the management of Steve Bruce, the plot of Gerry and Sewell follows the lads as they work their way through a dossier of dodgy schemes to reach their goal, all the while distracting themselves from an existence where addictions, abuse, illness, poverty, violence and prison are endemic.
But it’s way beyond their means in an age of Premiership football. The lads, low on funds but high on cheek and ingenuity, must resort to other means.
Gerry and Sewell plays at Live Theatre Newcastle up until Saturday, 18 November.