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Theatre Delicatessen Pedal PusherPedal pushers.jpg

Theatre Delicatessen Pedal Pusher

9
by TR McGowran
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Jul 17, 2009

4
£12.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Brilliant! An exhilarating, fact-packed Tour de Force
Weight: 
0g
Contact: 
www.theatredelicatessen.co.uk/pedal-pusher/
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I'll admit, when they said to me 'Hey up TR, we want you to review a play about Armstrong, Ullrich and Pantani at the Tour de France, it's in a disused warehouse in the West End and they're going to re-enact the Tour, but without any bikes…but with audience participation" "Uh-oh" was my first reaction.

Shows what I know, it was brilliant, an exhilarating, informative fact-packed Tour de Force. Anyone who's interested in the Tour won't fail to get something out of it…

You will believe that three men on chairs are Armstrong, Ullrich and Pantani battling it out for Tour glory. The amount and depth of information on offer at times might tip things over into the realms of cycle-geekery, but who cares: I'm a cycling geek. If you are one of those cycling racing fans who has already immersed themselves in the details of Tour history much of this might not be new, but even then the engaging manner of the play's presentation really brings it all to life.

The play is based  around the stories of Marco Pantini, Jan Ulrich and Lance Armstrong and their quest to be the successor to the great Miguel Indurain, who won the Tour 5 times in a row. It accurately portrays the extreme efforts, sacrifices, speculation and risks that these athletes made to achieve their goal.

The stage is open layout where the actors are amongst the audience who become part of the set making the performance feel very engaging. You will be herded around the theatre space as if you were watching the main event. The actors improvise with parts of the set for their bicycles etc.

In 2 hours it manages to cram in 10 years of cycling history and anyone who has an interest in the Tour de France will love the attention to detail. It is a captivating piece of drama documenting a truly extraordinary period of road racing.

Verdict

Brilliant! An exhilarating, informative fact-packed Tour de Force

Pic © Holly McGowan

road.cc test report

Make and model: Theatre Delicatessen Pedal Pushers

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Anyone who's interested in a gripping story well told, especially if it's about the Tour de France

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Put together without use of a proscenium arch this is one of those new-fangled freer form theatrical productions - probably in contravention of UCI regulations

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Directors Roland Smith, Jessica Brewster and Frances Loy and designer Sophie Mosberger have done a great job

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

As I say - you will believe that three men on chairs are jostling for the lead in the Tour de France

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

I'll remember it for a long time

Rides lighter than the material might suggest

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10

All those Tour de France facts might make it less comfortable for some

Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

£12 for a night out in the West End is pretty good going

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

I came out knowing a lot more about the Tour in the mid-90s

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The amount I learnt and the imaginative staging

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

erm…

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? This is more of a one time experience

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, if you're interested in the Tour de France go and see it

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 78  Weight: 178

I usually ride: Sparton, brakeless fixed  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, sportives, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

Theatre Delicatessen Pedal Pushers
Radio ban Tour de France 2009 Stage 13

Add new comment

4 comments

Avatar
zanf | 10 years ago
0 likes

[dead thread wake up!]

This is showing again at Theatre Delicatessen with an updated version:

http://www.theatredelicatessen.com/pedalpusher-2014/

Avatar
Fringe | 15 years ago
0 likes

there's a good podcast review also from 'thebikeshow' of this play here...

http://thebikeshow.net/theatre-review-pedal-pusher/

Avatar
Chuffy | 15 years ago
0 likes

Oh, but from the pic, Pantani actor looks spot on but Ulrich actor needs a pie or two. 19

Avatar
Chuffy | 15 years ago
0 likes

Congratulations on shoehorning the review into the product review template! 4

Sounds good, if it comes down this way I may even go... 13

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