★ ★ ★

Reviewer - Eleanor

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review

This newly written musical follows the true story of Gino Bartali. An Italian man who, following his win of the Tour de France in 1938 and his subsequent rise to stardom, used his fame and cycling skills to help smuggle Jewish children out of Mussolini’s Florence.

Although Gino’s (played brilliantly by Josh St. Clair) story and struggle are undoubtedly the focus, this show is an ensemble piece. We also follow Gino’s new relationship with artist Adriana Bani (Amy Di Bartolomeo), their joint friendship with Blackshirt Mario Carita (Fed Zanni), and the personal actions of Nico Nissim (Daniel Robinson) and Cardinal Elia Dalla Costa (Niall Sheehy).

Overall I had an enjoyable evening at the Charing Cross Theatre. It was refreshing to hear a newly written score and to learn of this relatively unknown story - a group of ordinary people doing something extraordinary in a time of true darkness.

“Some medals hang on the soul.”

The musical opens in the piazza with a rousing opening number (‘It Only Takes One Hero’). Although light in tone initially, a sharp contrast comes following a terrible accident shown off stage where we are quickly given an idea of the darker themes at play. The second act begins with far greater gravitas, with Gino actively cycling outside city limits. The way the bike was used in these scenes was particularly effective and helped to build upon the already growing tension.

It is clear that the dichotomy between Gino and Mario was a key aspect of this story. This could have been conveyed more successfully if more time had been given to Mario’s motivations and how his time as part of Mussolini’s army affected him. There were also times where Gino was not necessarily the most likeable of figures. For much of the story, you are routing for the success of the cause rather than the success of the man. His lack of humility in regard to his fame (replicating the voice of God in one instance), his changing motivations and his uncertain loyalty to the cause makes it difficult to empathize with some of his personal struggles.

The relationship between characters also could have been clearer at times. For example, you could tell there was a history between Mario and Adriana but were they just close friends? Were they in a relationship? Or just an unrequited love affair? Similarly, with Gino and his father, it is unclear what the root of their difficult relationship was. With so much time passing off stage it was a shame we could not delve deeper into these brilliantly acted characters.

One of the key strengths of this piece was the way tension was built and maintained throughout. This was predominantly achieved by Blackshirts entering the stage through the audience or standing in the isles, which gave the strong impression of always being watched. Their violent actions also escalated to show the growing threat and danger. But there are certainly some lighter moments. Much of the comic relief comes from Daniel Robinson’s Nico Nissim. Some may argue that the more comic scenes are ill fitted to Mussolini’s Italy, but the problem for me was the specific character they chose for this. Robinson was a good comic actor but Nico was a document forger, accountant and Jewish sympathizer (at the very least) and as an audience I would have expected him to take the cause more seriously. The song performed by Nico and Gino, ‘Green Eye Shades’, stood out particularly as being ill fitted to the rest of the narrative.

The score itself (music and lyrics by Victoria Buchholz) had a mostly homogeneous sound, as if it had all originated in this small community, and was very enjoyable. Although no one song stood out among the rest, and undoubtedly some songs were better at advancing the plot and developing character than others, they were all performed spectacularly by the cast. ‘Promises’ performed by Amy Di Bartolomeo was a particular highlight and undoubtedly impressed the room. It was unfortunate then that the lyrics, particularly in ‘Songlette in Teal’, were quite repetitive.

The lighting used throughout was simple yet effective, as was the use of set pieces. Spotlights were used to increase the emotion in certain scenes and projections added further detail to the set and grounded the show with the use of old film clips. Although set and props were used sparingly, this worked well and meant you took note when they were included.

Overall, Glory Ride was a well-staged musical with an excellent ensemble cast. Although it is a historically set piece, no prior knowledge of the era is needed to understand the situation faced by these characters. If some characters were given greater depth and the lyrics they sang made more meaningful I would have been more invested in Gino, Mario and Adriana and their relationships with each other. I would recommend this musical to theatregoers who are happy to give their time to new material acted by an utterly brilliant cast. Hopefully, the potential here will be actualised even better in future productions.