Outside of her hometown of Boston, Annie Londonderry has remained relatively obscure among pioneering Americans.
But the first woman to bicycle around the world is gaining notoriety at last thanks to a 2023 stage musical by Freya Catrin Smith and Jack Williams that London audiences flocked to see.
Now Smith and Williams’ “Ride” is making its U.S. premiere at the Old Globe Theatre.
“This show has always been an American story,” said Sarah Meadows, who’s directing “Ride” in Balboa Park, as she did in London. “It felt like its natural home was over here.”
The story of Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, who was nicknamed “Londonderry” by the sponsors of her ‘round-the-world feat, takes place between 1894 and 1895. A Jewish woman from a working-class background, Annie undertook on a bet a quest that was as much about herself as it was about circumnavigating the globe on wheels.
A wife and mother of three living in oppressive Victorian times, “Annie said she had to do something radical to change up her life,” explained Meadows. “I connected with the idea of this woman being bold, being brave, making big changes to her life for the better. It was such an amazing message.”
An actual bicycle is seen onstage only briefly in “Ride,” whose characters are Annie and her secretary Martha. The two tell the tale of Annie’s trip in words and song — mostly according to the facts.
“Annie’s whole raison d’etre,” said Meadows, “is that the storytelling is more important than the truth. That’s at the fundamental heart of her journey in the piece.”
Author Peter Zheutlin, who wrote a biography on Londonderry called “Around the World on Two Wheels,” said she is recognized as the world’s first international female sports star. On June 25, 1894, Londonderry set off from the Massachusetts State House on a 42-pound men’s Columbus bicycle to the cheers of 500 friends, family, suffragists and onlookers.
Londonderry, 23, embarked on her trip to not only win a $10,000 prize but to prove that women had the physical endurance and mental fortitude to complete a solo global adventure. She traveled in men’s pants, carried a pistol and earned money along the way to support her trip by selling photos of herself and turning herself into a mobile billboard for advertisers, Zheutlin wrote.
Along the way she traveled through France, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan and crossed the deserts of the unpopulated Southwestern U.S. by riding on railroad tracks. The trip wasn’t without its obstacles. While cycling through Stockton, she was run down by a horse and buggy and spent two days in the hospital recovering. And in Marseilles, France, she was held up by three robbers who got away with only a few francs, according to newspaper reports at the time.
Meadows was excited by the reception that the “Ride” musical received in London.
“When we did in just three weeks the first version of the show, we had to go with our instincts,” she recalled. “I was surprised how the fan base developed, with people who’d seen the show multiple times.”
The “Ride” that San Diego audiences will take with this musical is reimagined from the original London production, said Meadows, taking advantage of a larger theater, for one thing.
“This show has always been bigger than it’s been able to be,” she said. “We’ve never been in a space large enough to make the choices that we wanted to make. This (the Globe) feels like a natural space for us where we can make bigger gestures with the storytelling as we take it home, to the country where it’s from.”
Alex Finke, whom Meadows calls “a magical person,” is playing Annie at the Old Globe, with Livvy Marcus as Martha. Finke co-starred in the Broadway production of the La Jolla Playhouse-born musical “Come From Away” and Marcus appeared in the Old Globe’s 2019 production of the musical “Life After.”
The New York-based Finke remembers being taken with the script from the very beginning.
“What leaped off the page was how charismatic this woman was,” she said, “and how funny and smooth talking. The show is beautifully written and the score is incredible. It all feels very seamless.”
Finke described the role as “a challenge that I’ve always wanted. At this time (the late 1800s), women had to do something wild. It’s been thrilling to get to know about this really incredible human being who was so ahead of her time.”
Not just women but anyone should find a message in Annie Londonderry, said Finke: “Everyone has the strength within them to go after their dreams and change their own circumstances.”
During the pre-opening rehearsal period, Finke has been physically getting into character as the role of the bicycling Annie prescribes. “I ride to work every day, both Livvy and I,” she said. “We’re very method in our approach.”
‘Ride’
When: Previews, Saturday through Thursday. Opens April 5 and runs through April 28. 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays
Where: Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego
Tickets: $29 and up
Phone: (619) 234-5623
Online: theoldglobe.org
Coddon is a freelance writer.
