Adelaide Fringe Review – George Glass: Bradbury the Musical
Posted on: Thu 2 Mar 2023
All skaters to the rink, this is your 8-minute call.
Picture Salt Lake City, backstage with Steven Bradbury ahead of his life changing race in the 2002 Winter Olympics.
An 8-minute window into doubt, self-fear and lack of confidence. It’s Bradbury’s last chance before he slips down into the footnotes of history, Bronze Medal winner in the 1994 Winter Olympics Relay Team.
His only companion, The Elephant sitting quietly In The Room. Amplifying his every doubt.
Bradbury was born to be a speedskater – we even see it on stage. He has the talent, done the work, made it to The Final. And now his best, his only race-plan is to ….hang out the back…
Time for the Skating Gods! Though not necessarily the ones you’d want on speed dial.
A pro skate-boarder, disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding, the devil, and Lance Armstrong. All with advice, all with strategies – Bradbury is tempted with anger, drugs, violence, even rebirth as ways to blow his competition out of the ice water. All strategies are out there….and we see them all – even down to dueling umbilical cords.
It’s rolled gold George Glass!
It’s not a spoiler to give the ending – we know Bradbury overcame his doubts, and won well deserved Gold. It’s a razor-sharp Fringe frolic as local George Glass team glides to victory!
Photo by Matthew Fournier on Unsplash
Produced: Christina Hagger, aka Dr Christina from The Thursday Edition of Festival City
