Symphonie of the Bicycle
Following a sold-out season in January 2023, Hew Parham’s tale of cycling, obsession, envy, ambition, winning and losing, and finding the inner grit to dominate the mountain stages of life returns to Adelaide this May.
Symphonie of the Bicycle tells parallel stories. One of World War II-era Tour de France champion Gino Bartali, who secretly smuggled ID documents to jews fleeing fascist Italy. The other is about aspiring, yet disillusioned, present-day cyclist, Hew.
We chat with writer, performer and theatrical clown Hew Parham about the production, and his cycling experiences in Adelaide.
sa move: What was the inspiration for Symphonie of the Bicycle?
About 10 years ago, I was asked to invent this clown character for the Tour Down Under. I invented this buck-toothed kind of French or Belgian cyclist, with big thighs.
I noticed there were a lot of families around Victoria Square, and I thought it’d be really good if I could make a show to do in that area – a very short, 20-minute silent clown show.
Then by accident or grace, I heard the story of Gino Bartali, who won the Tour de France a couple of times.
sa move: What drew you to Gino Bartali’s story?
The thing that struck me is what he did during World War II. He saved Jewish people in northern Italy, and never told anyone about it.
And this saying that he had… really hit me, “Medals aren’t meant to be worn on the shirt, they’re to be worn on the soul.”
So, the show started to move away from the clown thing into a more narrative based work, to the point where the first draft went from 20 minutes to being about three and a half hours long.
So yeah, then it’s been a major edit job since then to whittle it down and refine it to what it is now.
A lot of the show talks about Bartali’s exploits in 1948 during the Tour de France, where the Prime Minister rang him up – Italy was about to go into a civil war – and said, “Can you win the Tour to France?”
[Bartali won the race, and some claim his victory united Italians and averted a war]
sa move: What do you like about cycling?
I think I was really reunited with my love for riding during lockdown. I was cooped up and I was actually writing a lot of Symphonie of the Bicycle. I would write in the morning and then I’d ride in the afternoon.
And I think that feeling of freedom. When I start, I’m a bit bored and then I push past a point and become very mindful.
I find you just start to tune in a bit more. It sort of helps me get out of my head – and the fitness – they’re probably the main things I like about it.
sa move: Where are your favourite places to ride?
I love that ride along Linear Park. [At the end] I make a choice of going left or right, and if I’m really ambitious, head along the coast to Seacliff. And then sometimes I turn right and head down to somewhere like Semaphore, Largs.
I’m not to the point where I’m doing Norton Summit or Mount Lofty yet. Maybe one day – I haven’t quite hit middle aged yet. When I do I might go full Lycra!
sa move: Symphonie of the Bicycle is about facing challenges. What challenges have you encountered while riding?
Well, I had a bit of a turning point in my life from a bike crash. I was going through a bit of a low period in my mid to late twenties. I think I’d just been fired from a job, or something like that.
Then I went for a bike ride with a friend and I flipped over my handlebars and ended up breaking my arm.
You have those times when your life’s bad, and then it gets worse. I think it was a bit of a wake-up call.
I’d been working a lot of jobs that I didn’t really like, and I hadn’t been very creative or artistic.
And then I made this decision to go to Canada. I discovered theatrical clowning – and that’s become a lifeline for me, both in the way I make work, and I’ve also taught that style.
I think I’d made one show of my own before doing that, and since then I’ve made five or six. So, I think that crash was a real turning point.
sa move: What do you think audiences will enjoy about Symphonie of the Bicycle?
I think while being a great story, there’s also the fantastic soundtrack my friend Will Spartalis has produced.
I guess it’s a one person show, but it’s the support and the atmosphere I find with the lighting and the music, and it kind of really creates this world, which is very exciting, very moving.
I really try and balance the very funny with the dramatic, and it often moves between those very rapidly.
People seem to have been really moved and touched by the work. So yeah, I guess I’m very excited to share that with another audience.
And you get to see me in Lycra [laughs] – is that a good selling point?
Main photo: Tracey Leigh Images
Symphonie of the Bicycle will be at the Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre, from 14-25 May. RAA members get 10 per cent off standard tickets.