Review of Pedal Pusher
 | "Long with the utmost eagerness" by Maddy Ryle for remotegoat on 29/07/09 |  |
But I've never paid more than scant attention to the Tour de France, so I've never really appreciated the drama of cycling as a sport, in which you challenge not only yourself but others as well. In 'Pedal Pusher' both the poetry and the drama are brought brilliantly to life in a piece of site-specific, promenade, physical theatre that is captivating enough for you to be gripped even if you've not been on a bike since the trike rusted up in the back garden when you were six.
Focussing on the stories of Marco Pantani, Jan Ullrich and, of course, Lance Armstrong, the pinnacle of the play is the Tour of 2000, the only year in which all three raced against each other. The use of language and choreography is superb throughout, and for this scene the recitation of Petrarch's 14th century account of his climb up Mont Ventoux (a famously gruelling Tour ascent), combined with the commentary on the race and the riders' own personal battles, and the spot-on poise and movement of the three riders on the stage - using plastic chairs as bicycles in a way that has to be seen to be appreciated - is brilliant.
In terms of language, director Roland Smith and his colleagues have done huge amounts of research, and much of the dialogue has come from interviews or autobiographies, creating genuine voices for each of the characters (except, noticeably, John Cass as the Journalist, who seems affected next to the rest of the cast). The interactions between the cyclists are largely fictionalised, but by introducing the device of the Journalist as interlocutor (and representative of the media hype surrounding the sport - especially during the doping scandal of the late 1990s), they have been able to draw on much real recorded material and bring it to life.
A very sparse set is laid out inside an old workshop space on Regent Street which has been granted to Theatre Delicatessen until 2011. Command of the space by both designers and actors is masterful, even with a constantly shifting audience to negotiate. The few props - metal street barriers, the chairs already mentioned - are put to very imaginative use, and in combination with movement director Tonny A's beautifully stylised choreography the physicality of the play is as impressive as its linguistic and emotional energy.
The acting was strong from all three cyclists, but Alexander Guiney as Lance Armstrong was particularly forceful and convincing, his attitude to taking on the part of a sporting titan seeming to mirror somehow Armstrong's own determination in facing down the cancer which threatened to destroy him. There was something, also, in the way the cast had clearly put so much blood, sweat and tears into the production, while each striking their own path within it, that reflected the nature of the Tour de France as they were tying to capture it for the audience. Petrarch said 'We long with the utmost eagerness for our gains' - the eagerness which has gone into creating this modern myth has certainly delivered.
| Event Venues & Times | |
| finished | 295 Regent Street | Westminster, London, W1B 2HL |
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