Review: Glory Ride at the Charing Cross Theatre, London
I went into Glory Ride on Friday night knowing nothing but the barest bones of the story, and looking forward to learning more. Musicals based on true stories are often hits with me - life really is stranger and more fascinating than fiction, after all.
Brought back for a full-scale production after it premiered as a staged concert at The Other Palace (to mixed reviews) late last year, Glory Ride is now being performed at the Charing Cross Theatre, a small space under The Arches below Charing Cross Station.
What’s it about?
It is the late 1930s and Florence-born cyclist Gino Bartali has risen to global fame after winning two Giro d’Italia titles and then the Tour de France. Meanwhile, Italian Fascism is at its height under the dictatorshop of Benito Mussolini and growing pressure from Nazi Germany.
Glory Ride tells a true story that was largely hidden from the world until Bartali’s death in 2000: how he was recruited by the resistance and joined forces with Jewish accountant Georgio Nissim and Cardinal Elia Dalla Costa to save hundreds of lives. Using his bicycle as transportation and his training regime as an excuse to the authorities, Bartalia smuggled documents to Jewish families desperate to flee Italy. Later, he began using a trailer attached to his bike to help children escape to the Swiss border.
Any content notes?
The rise of Fascism, Nazism, and antisemitism play a key role in the story of Glory Ride. Though it’s an uplifting story, its backdrop is a painful piece of history.
A few specifics to be aware of (mild spoiler warnings):
Guns are fired three times (twice in Act One and once in Act Two), with characters dying on stage. No blood is shown.
A character is badly beaten by a guard and has his hands broken (this is particularly upsetting because he was a musician prior to his conscription and wants to return to playing his violin.)
The theatre recommends that Glory Ride is suitable for ages 6+, but I’m not sure a child that young would follow the story particularly well.
Glory Ride: My Review
There’s a lot to love about Glory Ride, not least the genuinely moving true story and the assured and moving performances from the leads. Josh St Clair is excellent as Bartali, a superb singer who brings to the role both the easy charm of a celebrity sportsman at the top of his game and the more complex emotional core of a man trying to do what’s right amidst great personal risk.
Amy Di Bartolomeo as Adriana Bani, Bartali’s love interest and later wife, was absolutely the standout performer of the night. Her vocals are simply stunning and she brought a fierce passion to the role of Adriana, an artist and a self-assured, independent woman. Together, Di Bartolomeo and St Clair have a warm and believable chemistry, leaving me wishing the show had explored their relationship in more depth.
Josh St Clair & Amy Di Bartolomeo in Glory Ride. Photo: Marc Brenner
Though his role was relatively small, Ruairidh McDonald was another highlight as Felix, the violinist-turned-Blackshirt-soldier who longs to go back to playing music. His solo song, “A Minor Thing, A War”, was beautiful and haunting and has stayed with me perhaps more than any other number in the show. And Fed Zanni did a great job as the conflicted Major Mario Carita, though his role felt underwritten at times.
Unfortunately, there are some issues with the way Glory Ride’s storytelling is structured. The main crux of the plot, and the emotional heart of the story, is Bartali smuggling first documents and then children out of Florence. But the latter isn’t even discussed until two thirds of the way through Act Two, leaving it feeling rushed.
In general, things feeling rushed is an issue with this show. At times it races through events at breakneck speed, and at others it lingers where it really doesn’t need to. There were a couple of moments where a significant event (Bartali and Adriana’s first kiss being one obvious example) were set up and then just as quickly undermined by the uneven pacing before their full emotional resonance could be felt.
Overall, I found Act Two significantly more interesting and emotionally satisfying than Act One.
Josh St Clair as Gino Bartali with Jamie Coyne as Cosmo and Loris Scarpa as Lorenzo. Photo: Marc Brenner
There are also points where the material is let down by the book, which falls into the traps of both overwritten exposition and undermining its intent with clunky, over-the-top dialogue. Victoria Buchholz’s score is beautiful, though amidst some lyrical powerhouses (I’m still thinking about a wonderful line in the second act which went something like “history is a fickle sword wielded by the living”,) there are also some odd and rather forced rhymes. As well as the aforementioned “A Minor Thing, a War,” some of the best songs included Adriana’s gorgeous, angry “Promises” and the soaring “800 Souls,” led by Niall Sheehy as Cardinal Dalla Costa.
“Green Eye Shades” was admittedly very funny, but felt quite misplaced. I understand the need for comic relief, but this was one of the most pivotal turning points in the narrative so it seemed like a strange place to put it.
The cast of Glory Ride. Photo: Marc Brenner
As I said at the beginning of this review, there’s a lot to like about Glory Ride. I definitely learned some things and felt some things, which are two things I look for in a good piece of theatre, and the lead performers are note-perfect. I hope the creative team will continue to rework and refine this show in this run and its future iterations, because there’s something really special waiting to emerge from underneath its current problems.
Where to get tickets
Glory Ride will run at the Charing Cross Theatre until 29 July 2023. Tickets are available directly from the theatre or from reputable London theatre vendors.