Tyne and Wear Metro carriage set to star in London’s West End

A full-size replica of a Tyne and Wear Metro carriage is preparing to take centre stage in London’s West End, bringing a slice of North East culture to one of the capital’s most famous theatre districts.

The replica train, finished in the Metro’s distinctive yellow livery, forms the heart of the stage design for Gerry & Sewell, a play about two young men from Gateshead determined to watch Newcastle United play. The production is due to run at the Aldwych Theatre on Drury Lane for two weeks, from Tuesday 13 January to Saturday 24 January.

The Metro carriage, complete with the well-known logo and station cube, will feature prominently throughout the show’s West End run. The London performances follow earlier, well-received runs at Newcastle’s Live Theatre and the Theatre Royal, where the production built a strong local following.

Gerry & Sewell is adapted from Jonathan Tulloch’s novel The Season Ticket and the cult Geordie film Purely Belter. The stage version was written and directed by Olivier Award-winning theatre-maker Jamie Eastlake and is co-produced by Newcastle Theatre Royal.

Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus, said:

“Metro is a north east icon - so to learn that the replica train is going to be part of Gerry & Sewell’s run on the big stage in London’s West End is amazing news. The Aldwych theatre is a prestigious venue, so it’s fantastic that our familiar logo and yellow train will be featuring there. The set is based on Metro carriage 4001, which was the first Tyne and Wear Metro prototype train that arrived at our test track in 1975, five years before the system opened to the public in August 1980. It’s a great backdrop for such a brilliant play, which has had much local acclaim and is now getting the chance to showcase to wider audience down in London, showcasing our region and its culture. I wish the actors, and all of the Gerry & Sewell team, every success with the production down in London.”

For Eastlake, keeping the Metro at the heart of the production was essential, even as the show prepares to reach a national audience in the capital.

Jamie Eastlake, Writer and Director of the play, said:

"I think although this version of Gerry & Sewell after its many iterations in Tyneside will feel more universal as its being catered for West End audiences, it was key to not forget the heart and soul of the place at all. The Metro is part of that heart and soul. It’s the veins that run through, where life conversations happen, where we squeeze into on the way to the match. Having a metro carriage pull into the stage in London was a must for me.”

The move to the West End has also been welcomed by Newcastle Theatre Royal, which co-produced the show and has supported its journey from regional stages to a national platform.

Marianne Locatori, CEO of Newcastle Theatre Royal, said:

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to co-produce a show that is so deeply rooted in the North East and to support it to have a national profile in the West End. We feel an enormous sense of pride in being part of the journey of this show and supporting a piece that so vividly reflects the strength and spirit of the region.”

Image: Nexus