IN this summer of cycling in York, no sooner will Le Grand Depart’s peloton leave the city this weekend for the Tour de France than another bunch of bicycles, rather smaller in number, will be arriving on Tuesday.

The HandleBards, a madcap, four-strong, all-male troupe of theatrical players, are cycling to York to perform two pedal-powered Shakespeare plays on consecutive evenings in the gardens of the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall.

Callum Brodie, Tom Dixon, Paul Moss and Callum Cheatle have embarked on a 2,000-mile adventure around the British Isles on which they will carry all the necessary sets, props, costumes and camping equipment on only four bikes. At each stop, they will stage high-octane versions of The Comedy Of Errors and Macbeth, one an anarchic farce of mistaken identity with far too many twins, the other a wind-blasted tale of ambition, magic and murder.

The HandleBards use bikes to power various surprises and contraptions on stage, while playing all the parts in director James Farrell’s productions. Apparently, you should expect a wild 1930s indie-folk romp according to the press release, but whether that applies to the comedy on Tuesday, the tragedy on Wednesday or both, wait and see.

Access to the hall’s gardens will be from the Fossgate entrance only from 6.30pm for the 7.30pm al fresco shows. Please “bring a tasty picnic, your finest group of friends, low-backed chairs, rugs and cushions,” advise the hall staff.

• Tickets: 01904 654818.