Cycling icon Annie Londonderry comes back to life in this new musical exploring the achievements of the first female rider to journey all around the world. Guillermo Nazara shares his thoughts on the show, to let us know if this montage will either sweep an audience or be picked by the sweeper car.
If we work in tandem… Apologies – the pun was inevitable. And if you think it through, both this lyric and the musical we’re discussing today reference the same kind of person: the type that does not align by society’s norms, and choose themselves to hone their own fate. An iconic verse indeed. And, though perhaps not as popular (sorry…) as the greenified anti-hero, so was an ordinary woman that, after becoming the first female to cycle around the world, turned her name into a line of history.
An inspiring story of dreams and struggle (aka every musical ever made) Ride is currently going for its second London run – rolling down from the Charing Cross Theatre into the recently opened Southwark Playhouse Elephant. The creators weren’t wrong at making their selection. The plot has, in fact, all of the ingredients not only to work, but make it as a rather successful piece in the genre. However, pretty much as baking a souffle, triumph in musicals is a mixture of fine doses of precision and an overload of good luck. Unfortunately in this case, the prayers appear to have gone unanswered and the recipe, overlooked.
Written and composed by Freya Catrin Smith and Jack Williams, the show recounts the achievements of Annie Londonderry, a Jewish immigrant now turned into icon, as she recalls the trials and tribulations paving her path to stardom. Accompanied by her freshly arrived assistant, the whole montage is constructed as a reenactment of her life. But despite the characters’ efforts to form a pace line – the account is, in fact, too linear and lacking the proper pacing.
Directed by Sarah Meadows, the shows suffers from a severe absence of narrative identity – with the initial third of the piece presenting us with a lingering assemblage of musical numbers that the plot (or at least, its outline) does not really lean on – let alone, crave for. They are not unnecessary (as they do accompany the tale’s evolution) but they are not indispensable either – since its framing device of ‘a story within a story’ (done in the way it’s been done) constantly brakes the speed down, and loses track of what the script’s core theme should be all about: the pursue of greatness to escape a past of littleness, yet big enough to haunt forever.
Despite featuring some enjoyable tunes, the score does not bring too much individuality to the show, as not only does every number sound pretty much alike, but also falls for the same mistake that’s plaguing new musicals nowadays: a very similar light pop-rock style – way too often, unjustified as for the story they’re trying to tell. Of course, you don’t need full authenticity to emulate a 19th-century America setting, but that spirit has to dwell in it somehow. Sadly enough, the soundtrack goes completely soulless when it comes to finding its own voice.
With an adequate yet not too intoxicating cast (their performances technically correct, but lacking a sense of mutual chemistry) and a set design that does not give the necessary dynamism to a play that, at the end of the day, is all about motion, Ride is a show that parts from a bright idea, but plummets into obscurity by cycling on the wrong lane. There’s still chance to take a rightful turn and make it work. The talent is there, but hasn’t been trained properly. And though they’ve embarked on an exciting journey, there’s still a long race until achieving a tour de force.
All pictures credit to Danny Kaan.
Ride plays at London’s Southwark Playhouse Elephant until 12 August. Tickets are available on the following link.