"Cycling on stage? Pedal Pusher is theatrical revolution
"Simulating riders from the Tour de France is no easy thing in the theatre, but Delicatessen are really going places, without even using bikes…
"It seemed audacious to even attempt to stage an account of an event that involves 170-odd men whizzing through France at superhuman speeds. It's hard enough for Eurosport and all of its helicopters and motorbikes to do justice this awesome spectacle, so how on earth could the Tour be recreated in the theatre?"Well, firstly, the young company, Delicatessen, made the smart decision not to use any actual bikes in the action. It's a bold move considering the plot revolves around the world's biggest bike race, and three of cycling's most colourful characters: Lance Armstrong, Marco Pantani and Jan Ullrich, the three riders who vied for supremacy in the late 1990s..."
TimeOut London have upgraded the status of Pedal Pusheron their website from Recommended to Critics' Choice.
With only eight performances left, book online now to avoid disappointment.
"A show about three world-famous cyclists performed on a couple of plastic chairs may not sound like everyone's idea of a good time, but you needn't be a cycling nerd to enjoy 'Pedal Pusher'."Although this compelling devised piece by theatredelicatessen tells the story of Lance Armstrong, Marco Pantani and Jans Ullrich [sic] - three of the greatest cyclists of their generation - and their one meeting at the Tour de France in 2000, that's not really what it's about. 'Pedal Pusher' is a tale of obsession, sacrifice, of winning at all costs and, above all, about what might have been."
- TimeOut London Magazine, issue 2031: July 23 - 29 2009, pg 117
We're getting great audience feedback for Pedal Pusher. In this new age of the Social Network, people have been sharing, twittering, facebooking and blogging all about it. We applaud you for it. Word-of-mouth is our greatest marketing tool.
Here's a small sample of our 'social feedback':
Twitter
Some tweets of note:
"realcycling: 1min extract of Pedal Pusher, play about Tour de France to 1 Jul 09, London www.realcycling.co.uk http://twaud.io/Rx"
"sarahmade: Went to see Pedal Pusher by @theatredeli Random subject for theatre but actually very good. You have two weeks to go http://bit.ly/VzALq (expand)"
"react: Is anyone going to see Pedal Pusher, the west end play about the Tour de France? #tdf"
"rolandsmith: ProCyclist Magazine running an article on Pedal Pusher on page 30..."
"parkrunner: Had fantastic time at Pedal Pusher tonight, everybody who loves the Tour de France should go and see it @theatredeli"
"thebikeshow: To The Bike Show peloton: do you want to make a outing en masse to see Pedal Pusher? £12. More at http://is.gd/1tmhs (expand)"
"runawaydorothy: I just learned what pedal pusher means."
"rolandsmith: Etape 1 :: Pedal Pusher... Incredible night of theatre/cycling. Had an ex-pro cyclist in - 'Very realistic... Bought back a lot of memories'"
Blogs
Thanks to all you budding bloggers. Here are a couple of highlights:
"A brilliant portrait of obsessed men, and brilliant theatre. It's not about the bike; go and see it."
- Real Cycling
"Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Pedal Pusher and it took me back to when I used to cycle regularly in London. Afterwards, all I wanted to do was get on my bike and chew up some miles on the slick London roads. The thrill, the chase, the effort, the determination is all there. The major topics of doping, athleticism, euphoria and despair are intricately woven together. If you've only been grabbing the occassional highlight of this years tour, Pedal Pusher will make you want to grab a bike."
- ERA Burge