Advertisement

Culture Theatre

Review: Subway Stations Of The Cross

SUBWAY STATIONS OF THE CROSS by Ins Choi (Soulpepper). At the Young Centre for the Performing Arts (50 Tank House). Runs to April 4. $20-$58. 416-855-8555. See listing. Rating: NNN Win tickets here!

Ins Choi‘s Subway Stations Of The Cross will give you something to ponder next time you pass a busker or spoken word artist on the street or in the bowels of a TTC station.

We hear Choi’s unnamed character before we see him, harumphing and growling in a voice that sounds like he smokes the same brand of cigarettes as Tom Waits. When he appears, bundled up in layers of clothes and blankets, his head wrapped in a Jack Sparrow bandana, he gruffly mutters a bunch of poetic utterances that touch on religion, social inequity and pop culture. He even throws in a few knock-knock jokes.

His props include a portable light, which he uses for some dramatic visual effects, and a loaf of bread and bottle of wine, which, in true Biblical fashion, he transforms in a couple of simply staged but novel scenes. And he’s got a ukulele to strum for a several songs.

The material is more playful than profound, especially a ditty about his obsession with 80s sitcoms.

And while there’s no through line or recurring characters to hang even a slight narrative on, there’s a bold experimental feel to the show that is brave, considering this is Choi’s follow-up to his crowd-pleasing Kim’s Convenience.

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted