Symphonie of the Bicycle – Mount Gambier

Life is short, and the Tour de France is long.

Over 200 years ago a volcano erupts over Indonesia spreading an ash cloud all the way to Europe, to the home of inventor Karl Von Drais. When his beloved horse passes away due to the ash, Karl struck by a moment of inspiration devises a two-wheeled man-powered mode of transport, the humble bicycle.

Flash forward to the present day where we meet Hew, an aspiring cyclist stuck in a rut of dead-end jobs and missed opportunities. He harbours a pathological envy of his successful high school friend, Jake, now a professional cyclist. The story of Hew runs parallel with that of two-time Tour de France champion Gino Bartali, who risked his life during WWII to secretly transport documents to save Jewish people in Northern Italy. A chain of uphill battles, twists and turns leads to a most unlikely meeting on a mountain.

Directed by Adelaide legend Chris Drummond, and written by and starring Hew Parham, this gem of a show weaves together a series of outrageous characters and stories across time and space in an absurdly hysterical, yet ultimately moving portrait of the quest for glory and heroism.

Presented by State Theatre Company South Australia and Country Arts SA in association with Brink Productions and Flinders University