The story follows a girl named Meg along with her mother, Sandra, trying to travel from Canada to Detroit in order to watch a Tigers game. Upon reaching the border, they are forced to turn around as Sandra’s passport had expired and go instead to a motel and visit the area close to the border. On their visit, they meet a couple named Walt and Amber that invite them to join them on a boat to America. As they push off, Amber and Walt are revealed as being smugglers of alcohol and had paid off the customs agents for their journey.
Unknowingly, Meg had sent them on a small time travel trip, riddled with history and education. On the trip there’s a small running gag that while people think that they’re tourists, they say that they’re from Chatham, and everyone takes that as making sense. I’m not sure of the running gag since I’d never been to Canada, but then again, this audio drama was broadcast on the radio in the area and the production studio is actually located in Chatham, Ontario. The time travel seems to work kind of oddly as they change between the present and the past before venturing on the boat to America.
Some of the history topics covered include the smuggling of alcohol from Canada to America during prohibition, the corrupt officials paying into crime during the era, and the story of legendary baseball player, Ty Cobb. They eventually get to Detroit and rent a hotel in the area, only to wake up in the present day. On the way to the Tigers game, they notice several people who they notice as being descendants of the characters involved in the story. The voice acting is well done and is definitely a story to check out. Since it’s more of a drama, the sound effects are limited to more of a backdrop, such as waves on the water, wind, footsteps, and bottles within a crate. Overall, this works out quite well and sets the tone for the story.
You can check out Running to Detroit and other productions on the Voices in the Wind website. The show was originally broadcast on the radio July 17, 2010 in Chatham, Ontario.
Comments
I Googled the name Detroit and came across your review. I like audio drama but can't figure out if you liked the show or didn't like the show.
thanks for the comment. It was quite an enjoyable show. I may not have done well in history class in school, but I always enjoyed hearing about history. The time-travel from a child's imagination and wishes was a nice touch, without going too crazy.
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