More Theater Monday - Songs About Trains

We were given complimentary tickets to Songs About Trains for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed are our own.

What: Songs About Trains

Where: New Ohio Theatre

             154 Christopher St., 1E

             New York, NY

Who: All ages

When: Through April 23, 2022

Songs About Trains is not a show with a linear store. It is a collection of songs from all different cultures about trains and the railroad. There are snatches of stories as well captured through the reading of letters. However, there aren't any characters that we really get to know well and we mostly don't even get to learn the names of the people writing these letters. The letters do capture what life was like for different groups of people working on the railroad, however, and how badly they were treated and how they were discriminated against. This does make the show very timely in light of what has gone in in the past few years and what is going on now.

Most of the songs are not all that memorable, and the show moves along slowly. This could also be due to the lack of an intermission. It seems like shows are going longer and longer with no intermission which is not necessarily a good thing. 

The cast is talented though. They sing, dance, and play a variety of instruments and due to the way the theater is set up which includes having some of the audience right on stage, they are even able to interact with the audience a little bit. You really feel like you are right in the middle of the show, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your point of view.

And that's our view. For more information or to purchase tickets to Songs About Trains, visit newohiotheatre.org/programs/archive-residency/songs-about-trains.

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Photo credits: All Songs About Trains production photos by Valerie Terranova