Hollywood is in love with musicals again and, if La La Land is anything to go by, song and dance movies could be showing at a cinema near you for some time to come. It’s easy to understand why. In an increasingly troubled and turbulent world, escaping for a few hours into a simpler and happier place makes perfect sense.
Which leads me to wonder: Could Peloton of Two be turned into a musical? After all, just like in La La Land, the plot is basically just that same old story: girl meets boy, girl falls for boy, romance ensues and they might or might not live happily ever after.
The girl is a journalist. (I know, I know, in La La Land she’s an actress, but go with this for a moment.) The boy, one of them anyway, is an adventure travel expert. (Yes, he could be a jazz pianist, but pianos are tricky things to travel long distances with – just ask the clown in Salad Days). And the girl is drawn to the boy because of his passion for old-fashioned long-distance self-propelled travel (think traditional jazz on two wheels). We know he’s passionate, by the way, because he’s so grumpy all the time. But once he’s sitting on that tandem (or at his keyboard) he becomes another man, an idealist, a true romantic. Who wouldn’t want to be around someone like that all the time. Especially if he takes you to France into the bargain. And then, well, let’s just say that complications ensue.
All of which leaves plenty of scope for set-piece song and dance numbers. Some would write themselves. The scene on the beach at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer would have to include Charles Trenet’s La Mer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MLzijpQkJI or search instead for the Mr Bean version). Others require original music: Werner Balchoffer would lead a big comic number as he erects the Balchoffer tent at Confolens; Catherine and Steve would share a romantic moment in the gas lit streets of Sarlat-la-Canéda.
There’s plenty of work to do before a cycle touring musical would be ready for the big screen. In the mean time, you can read it in the original version on Kindle by following these links:
There’s plenty of work to do before Peloton of Two – The Musical is ready for the big screen. In the mean time, you can read it in the original version on Kindle by following these links:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LW6UNH7
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LW6UNH7
Finally, congratulations to La La Land for today’s 14 Oscar nominations. Despite the nominations and awards already received, the movie hasn’t received universal acclaim. For balance, I’m also including links to three reviews, one positive, the others more muted:
Peter Bradshaw review in The Guardian
Richard Brody in The New Yorker
Hadley Freeman in The Guardian
How about you? Is La La Land your favourite musical?