Exclusive: Ride musical to play two West End performances

Exclusive: Ride, a new musical about the first woman to cycle round the world, will transfer to the West End for two performances next month.

The show, which premiered at last year's Vault Festival, features music and lyrics by Jack Williams and music, book and lyrics by Freya Catrin Smith, who also co-directs with Adam Lenson (Public Domain, Vaudeville Theatre).

It stars Gemma Sutton (Girl from the North Country, Follies) and Bronté Barbé (Oklahoma, Chichester, Beautiful, UK tour).

Ride will play two semi-staged performances at the Garrick Theatre on 21 June (3pm and 8pm).

It's 1895 and Annie Londonderry (Sutton) has returned victorious to America, hailed as the first woman to ever cycle around the world. She's pioneering, she's plucky, and she's pitching her story to the New York World. But she can't do it alone. Joined at the eleventh hour by unwitting secretary Martha Smith (Barbé), the two begin to share Annie's unbelievable adventures.

Ride was the winner of a Vault Festival Show of the Week Award and the title song was nominated for the 2020 Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Prize.

The creative team also includes choreographer Alfred Taylor-Gaunt, designer Libby Todd, lighting designer Sam Waddington and orchestrator Macy Schmidt. It's produced by Deus Ex Machina Productions.