THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
Musicals, eh?
You really need a big sound to lean into.
You need inspiration and a beautiful, heart-rending story to lift your soul above the dispersing crowds as you leave the theater.
You need gorgeous, rousing choral ensemble pieces poised deftly on the wings of pathos on one side and levity on the other.
You need the undimmed optimism of the American spirit; the glitz, glamour and ambition of transatlantic innovation, and the evocativeness of a movingly simple story of quietly courageous resistance – perhaps in the face of the rise of Mussolini's jackbooted blackshirts in an increasingly frightening and hostile World War Two Italy.
And bikes. You need bikes for a good musical. Or at least this one.
Enter Glory Ride, the riveting story of humble Italian cycling champion Gino Bartali, who, unbeknownst to many until years later, and armed only with his charm, a steel frame, two wheels and a lot of help from his friends, smuggled first documents and then, Schindler-like, hundreds of Jewish children out of Italy and to safety across the Swiss border to safety.
Penned by multi-talented American father/daughter team Todd and Victoria Buchholz, this show is the product of a labor of love, nine years in the making, starting in Victoria's notebook on her first discovery of Bartali's story in Tuscany, then progressing to a series of workshops and concerts, culminating in this production in The Charing Cross Theatre.
And so worth the wait.
The story begins with a banger of a prologue in the number, 'It Only Takes One Hero' which manages, through some clever arrangements, to convey the sense of inspiration and freedom one might feel cycling through the Tuscan hills and at the same time uses cycling as a metaphor for stepping up and doing the right thing when called upon.
Josh St. Clair's vocal performance is both charismatic and brilliant as our athletic protagonist. But this show is brilliantly about unlikely coalitions of people coming together, and Daniel Robinson's performance as the real life accountant/business manager to both Bartali and more importantly, the prominent antifascist resistance leader Giorgio Nico, is so impressive it borders on show-stealing. Robinson delicately balances the stubborn accountant's sensible reluctance to get involved in danger with Nissim's soft spoken bravery as he steps out of the shadows and bursts into wonderful Jewish folk-flavored numbers like 'They Call me Silent', or the sharply witty satire of 'Green Eye Shades'.
It is a show where director Kelly Devine, known for choreographing shows like Come From Away, really comes to the fore with brilliant coordination of dance and movement.
It's an inspiring story about deciding to do what's right when all around you - and inside that is motivated by self preservation - is telling you to do the opposite. But despite the uniqueness of the story, technically, it all feels a little… derivative. No one's stopping you from staging a play about a unique historical figure who's had an influence on history, but when you're off the West End and down the road from another story about a historical figure who's had an influence on history, you start to feel as though you could plug in 'Bartali' for 'Hamilton' when you see those personages who've taken part in the story and touched the main character's life speaking to the audience at the beginning and end of the story. One can hear the pop punkiness of Evan Hansen in St. Clair's vocals and even Roger from Rent's 'One Song Glory' in the rockingly rich guitar riffs laced through the show. So while it feels generally fresh, certainly inspiring and entertaining, it also feels like it is synthesising familiar feeling tropes to tell the story.
This should not take away from a very well told, unknown story of death defying bravery, one which will elevate the soul and make you feel as free as if you were coasting through the Italian Alps, the wind at your back and freedom and possibility on the horizon.
Read The American's interview with Todd Buchholz and Victoria Buchholz, creators of Glory Ride here:
https://www.theamerican.co.uk/pr/int-Riding-To-Glory
