Initial casting has been announced for the world premiere of new musical Glory Ride at London’s Charing Cross Theatre this month.
The first fully-staged production of the new musical inspired by an amazing and inspiring true story from the Second World War will star Josh St. Clair (Frozen, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Kinky Boots, UK tour) as Gino Bartali, Amy Di Bartolomeo (Six, Arts Theatre, We Will Rock You, UK tour) as Adriana Bani, Fed Zanni (Head Over Heels, Hope Mill Theatre, Mamma Mia! The Party, O2) as Major Mario Carita, Daniel Robinson (Heathers The Musical, The Other Palace, South Pacific, Kilworth House) as Giorgio Nico, Ruairidh McDonald (Half a Sixpence, Kilworth House, Peter Pan and Wendy, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as Felix, Ryan Bennett (Heathers The Musical, The Other Palace, The Addams Family, UK tour) as Commander Graziani, and Peter Watts (Macbeth, UK tour, The Tempest, Nottingham Playhouse) as Fantali.
Recent Guildford School of Acting graduate Jamie Coyne will make his professional debut as Cosmo with Loris Scarpa (Once In Concert, London Palladium, Alice in Wonderland, The Mercury Theatre) as Lorenzo, Susianna Paisio (Song of the Earth, Edinburgh Festival, Il Postino dell’Arcobaleno, Teatro San Babila in Milan) as Rosetta, Steve Watts (Passion, Hope Mill Theatre, The Boy Friend, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) as Torello and recent Royal Central School of Speech & Drama graduate Alice Spigariol making her professional debut as ensemble.
Featuring music, lyrics and a book by daughter and father team Victoria and Todd Buchholz, the Tuscany-set tale of an Italian Tour de France winner, an accountant and a Cardinal who pulled off a remarkable child rescue operation in the Second World War, will run from 22 April and 29 July 2023.
Olivier Award-winning choreographer Kelly Devine (Come From Away) will make her UK debut as director of the Charing Cross Theatre production. The creative team also includes associate director Richard J Hinds, set, costume and video designer PJ McEvoy and lighting designer Rob Halliday, with orchestrations by Jen Green and casting by Harry Blumenau. General management is by Smart Entertainment. The Italian cultural adviser is Frederico Bellone.
Playwright Victoria Buchholz discovered the extraordinary story of cyclist Gino Bartali while travelling through Tuscany and joined forces with her father Todd, one of the original co-producers of Jersey Boys, to bring his heroic story to the stage. The musical was developed through workshops in New York and Los Angeles and was first seen in the UK as staged concert performances at The Other Palace in London.
Angela Thomas
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