(Best of the Capital Fringe)
Set in a one bedroom apartment share in the Lower East Side of Manhattan Tour de Farce follows the adventures of Peter and his stationary bike, set in the bedroom of roommate Ryan. Peter dreams of competing in the Tour de France – just like his idol Lance Armstrong – and spends the first 30 minutes of this one-act play riding his bike while watching the race on TV. Ryan is the victim of his own television set, and can’t convince Peter to get outside and ride his bike.
Written and directed with style and substance by Kevyn Settle, making his playwriting debut, this dramedy explores the complex story of Peter and Ryan’s ten-year BFF friendship, their shared girlfriends, and the power of our dreams.
Ryan’s a struggling writer, who finds his inspiration one day through the manuscript of a drunken passed-out passenger on the New York Subway System. He picks up the manuscript, reads it and is taken with it. Ryan returns the manuscript but can’t get the power of the story – and the memory of its author – out of his mind.
He turns the story into his own, and wins an award for his efforts, leading to the one detracting scene in the show – one where an interviewer “discusses” the original piece with Ryan. Momentum in the show comes to a brief halt but Settle quickly rights the ship, returning the attention to Peter – and his recent cancer diagnosis (Lance Armstrong, anyone?) – as he continues to dream day-after day of competing in the Tour. His commitment moves Ryan, but annoys him to the point of urging him to move.
Sha Golanski excels as writer Ryan, while Willem Krumich is the endearing dreamer Peter. With a backdrop of terrific music composed by Eric Scott, Tour de Farce takes you to places you don’t expect. It’s a Must-See!
Running Time: Approximately one hour.
Tour de Farce plays through July 27th at Gearbox-1021 7th Street NW, 3rd Floor, in Washington, DC. For information and to purchase tickets, go to their Capital Fringe page.
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A preview article on DCMetroTheaterArts.
