Interview: Freya Catrin Smith & Jack Williams On Bringing RIDE to San Diego's Old Globe

BroadwayWorld sat down for an interview with the writers behind the American premiere of Ride at The Old Globe. The musical features book, music, and lyrics by Freya Catrin Smith (London’s Network Theatre’s The Limit, Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s Part A), music and lyrics by Jack Williams (London’s Network Theatre’s The Limit, Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s Part A), and direction by Sarah Meadows (U.K. premiere of Marie Curie, U.K. tour of The Good Enough Mums Club).

Ride is produced by The Old Globe by special arrangement with DEM Productions and Wagner Johnson Productions. 
 
It’s 1895, and Annie Londonderry wants to discover if a woman can ride a bicycle around the world. The problem? She’s only ridden one twice! As Annie and her unwitting secretary Martha share unbelievable adventures across four continents, they learn that no matter how far we ride, our past is always right behind us. With a high-energy score and a wildly versatile cast, this fresh and funny show is what Theatre Weekly called “an amazing piece of theatre and a must-watch for everyone.” 

The cast for Ride features Alex Finke as Annie (Broadway’s revival of Les Misérables; Broadway’s Come From Awayas Janice) and Livvy Marcus as Martha (The Old Globe’s Life After; Berkshire Theatre Festival’s Hair). Cover for Annie and Martha is Aubrey Matalon (Broadway’s Six the Musical; Off-Broadway’s Between the Lines, A New Musical).

Also joining Smith, Williams, and Meadows as part of the creative team for the Globe’s production of Ride are Jennifer Jancuska (Choreography), Amy Jane Cook (Scenic and Costume Design), Jamie Platt (Lighting Design), Andrew Johnson (Sound Design), Matt Powell (Video Design), John Bulleid (Illusions), Macy Schmidt (Orchestrations), Sam Young (Music Supervisor and Additional Arrangements), Daniel Green (Music Director), Katharine Quinn (Associate Director), Natasha Harrison (Original Choreography), Jim Carnahan, CSA and Jason Thinger, CSA (Casting), and Anjee Nero (Production Stage Manager).
 
Ride had its first full production at Charing Cross Theatre in London in August 2022 for a limited engagement. The musical featured book, music, and lyrics by Freya Catrin Smith and Jack Williams, was directed by Sarah Meadows, and starred Liv Andrusier (Annie) and Yuki Sutton (Martha).
 
Tickets for Ride are available now and start at $29. Performances for the five-week limited engagement run March 30 – April 28, 2024, with the official press opening on Friday, April 5 at 8:00 p.m. The Vicki and Carl Zeiger Insights Seminar, scheduled for Tuesday, April 2 at 6:00 p.m., will provide patrons an exploration of the themes and background of Ride from select artistic company members. Post-Show Forum events will be held on Tuesday, April 9; Wednesday, April 10; and Wednesday, April 24 (evening performance). An open-caption performance will be held on Saturday, April 20 at 2:00 p.m. This production includes strong language. Visit www.TheOldGlobe.org for a full schedule and additional information.

What inspired you to tell Annie Londonderry's story through a musical?

Jack: As soon as we began to learn about Annie Londonderry’s life and character, it became clear that a musical could be the ideal vehicle for this narrative. One of the big themes of the show is Annie’s ability to tell a great story, even when that story comes into conflict with what actually happened. Annie is a born showwoman, with an innate ability to sell a dream – but it’s crucial to her that she retains control of her narrative at all times.

We were inspired by elements of equally untrustworthy musical theatre characters such as Chicago’s Billy Flynn and The Music Man’s Harold Hill – how they’re able to use music as a weapon to manipulate people. This then creates an interesting dynamic in the piece when the other character in the show, Martha, a secretary that Annie’s enlisted in her pitch to the New York World, begins to see through the holes in the façade that Annie has created.

Could you talk about the significance of the setting, the 1890s, for Annie Londonderry's journey and the narrative of the musical?

Freya: It was important for us to understand the social context of the 1890s and the world Annie was navigating in order to accurately reflect her triumphs and challenges. We researched the invention of the bicycle and the impact it had on women’s emancipation: as a mode of transport it was the first time in history that women didn’t have to rely on men to travel, so it played a huge part in women’s independence. Alongside this, a burgeoning women’s movement was disrupting social and political norms, and fighting for the freedoms already afforded to men. Gaining an understanding of the social climate - and how fertile those years were - helped us to see how different cultural developments and moments could align to facilitate Annie's radical act of cycling the globe as a lone woman.

In developing "RIDE," how did you balance historical accuracy with creative storytelling?

Freya: While we have strived for accuracy in terms of the social context the characters are operating in, and in production aspects such as set design and costume, there is not a huge amount out there in terms of Annie herself. In some ways we are quite fortunate that not much has been written about Annie’s life, as it’s given us plenty of creative freedom when adapting and musicalising her story. The work of Peter Zheutlin - Annie’s great grandnephew - has been invaluable in terms of understanding the route she took on her cycle and her interactions with the press along the way. Peter’s work also made us realise that Annie is so much more than her cycling achievements - she had a fascinating and unusual character, and a challenging and heartbreaking personal history. We wanted to explore all of this in RIDE, and as a result, the show became as much a character study as a round-the-world adventure.

Annie herself was not too fussed about accuracy or facts, and many of her claims should be taken with a pinch of salt. She was larger than life, wildly intelligent and charismatic, and knew how to create a buzz. To us as writers, this was a gift, as it felt like we had Annie’s permission to really go for it, and could explore her bravado and razzle dazzle through exciting and exhilarating musical numbers, while also interrogating what lay behind the mask. 

Could you discuss the collaboration process between the two of you in creating the book, music, and lyrics for "RIDE"?

Jack: Although many composers often adopt a more rigid music/lyrics split, Freya and I have always worked on both together. For this show, Freya wrote all of the book, so I picked up a little more on the music side. When beginning the piece, the first song we started with was the title number, ‘Ride’ (which in the original version of the show was the opening number). However, before starting work on any further numbers, we spent a long time on story structure and song spotting to ensure that each planned song served an appropriate dramatic function and moved the story forward sufficiently – the worst thing is writing a number that you get attached to, and then realising it doesn’t have a place in your show!

We then set to work writing the rest of the songs for the piece (alongside Freya writing the book), some in-person together, and some separately. Although in many ways our writing sensibilities are very similar, we each bring something different (even down to the instruments we play – I primarily compose on guitar, and Freya on piano) – so even when one of us has started a song, it’s always really important to get the other’s input to finesse it. 

What do you hope audiences take away from Annie Londonderry's story and your musical?

Freya: As a musical theatre writer I strive to create the kind of layered and fully formed female characters that I want to see represented on stage. I hope audiences appreciate the detail and depth of both characters, and the complex relationship and friendship that blossoms between them. We’ve tried to create a musical that’s full of light and shade, with some showstopping highs, and some rather low lows, so we hope audiences will enjoy the emotional rollercoaster (and dare I say it, ride!) we’re taking them on. It’s full of surprises. I hope they will fall in love with Annie the way that we have, and that they will be inspired and moved by her story. The piece throws up questions about privilege, class, race, heritage and gender that remain very relevant today, so I hope audiences will leave the theatre reflecting and talking about what they’ve experienced.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers and composers looking to create their own musicals?

Jack: Tell stories that interest and excite you. If you’re adapting an existing source material, ensure that it has a good reason to be a musical, and that you feel musical theatre is the most effective way of telling that particular narrative. And make sure that your songs are always doing something to push the story (and your characters) forward.

Freya: On a practical level, set yourself a scary deadline and get something on! The first time RIDE was on (at Vault Festival, London, 2020), we produced it ourselves wearing all the hats (except, thankfully, for performing in it - though we were in the band!). Get something out there on a stage, invite people that can help you take it to the next level, and if you’re onto something - someone will hopefully bite.

The musical has a limited engagement at The Old Globe. Are there any plans for "RIDE" after this run?

Jack: At the moment, the main focus is delivering the best show possible in San Diego. However, we’d absolutely love to take the show further in the states – as an American story, we’re really excited to have the chance to bring the piece to US audiences for the first time.

Why must audiences come and see the show?

Freya: Firstly, to learn about the remarkable woman that Annie Londonderry was! She’s still largely unknown and we hope to change that.

I can’t not mention the cast. The piece asks a lot of its two actors and we have the most incredible and unmissable cast - Alex Finke as Annie and Livvy Marcus as Martha are truly sensational. You have to see it to believe it. I know the show inside out and I’m still blown away each time I see their performances. The chemistry between them is seriously special, and they are both absolute all-singing, all-dancing powerhouses. It’s really a ‘pinch me’ moment as a writer to see our characters come to life so beautifully, and audiences have been leaping to their feet to give them much-deserved and immediate standing ovations.

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