I missed an opportunity to see Ride the Cyclone when it appeared Off-Broadway in 2016. As someone who once drove west and made an overnight detour to Cedar Point, the proclaimed “roller coaster capital of the world,” this material seemed right up my alley. Indeed it was. I am very fortunate to have waited to enjoy this riotously hilarious production at Minneapolis’ Jungle Theater.
Confidently and creatively written by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, this charmingly spooky musical begins with a headless girl singing the mournful “Dream of Life.” She and five others have perished in a horrific carnival accident when the coaster’s inversion goes awry. Karnak is the host of this show. For those who remember the fortune telling machine Zoltar, this version is a dryly sarcastic and very funny caricature. Karnak informs the dead kids there will be an afterlife challenge. As a result, one winner will return to the living.
A ghoulish cabaret emerges from that offbeat premise. Ride the Cyclone is filled with memorable character songs and laughs galore. Karnak doesn’t exactly relish his job. “To be told the time and place of your death with a mouthful of corn dog is the opposite of fun.” One by one, the recently departed will make their case. More accurately, they sing about their personalities, dreams, worries and assorted teenage angst.
These kids are all members of a chorale group. You can guess the stereotypes on display. Ultra peppy Ocean (Shinah Brashears) has a catch phrase. She boasts “Democracy Rocks!” Her sidekick best friend is Constance (Gabrielle Dominique), thrice voted the nicest girl in homeroom. Her inner turmoils will be exposed. Noel is the gay kid who fantasizes about being “a hooker with a heart of black charcoal” in arguably the show’s best number, “Noel’s Lament.”
Rounding out the gang of corpses is the adopted Ukranian Mischa, the sickly Ricky and Jane Doe. Mischa fancies himself a rapper and pines for an internet love. Ricky (Jordan M. Leggett) had crutches and couldn’t speak when living but now has freedom in death. Jane Doe is the poor soul who lost her head and was never identified. She is hauntingly portrayed as a creepy mannequin.
Ride the Cyclone is silly fun from start to finish. This show combines Halloween-style chills with musical comedy thrills. The joke-filled book is very funny and the songs are varied and clever. This musical is a cabaret concert set in an old school carnival which has been unearthed from dusty memories of yesteryear. The period set was designed by Chelsea M. Warren and was nicely lit by Marcus Dillard.
Production values were high across the board from the energetic direction by Sarah Rasmussen to the zany choreography by Jim Lichtscheidl. Each performer stands out in their spotlight moments and effectively provides ensemble support. The stage is often a whirl of activity with deftly conceived quieter, moody moments. Projections designed by Kathy Maxwell conjure nostalgic memories while also adding significant visual appeal to this staging.
Only one song came across as flat and overlong. The musical numbers were hugely engaging, deliciously irreverent, a little sweet and occasionally sour (and sometimes all of those at once). The goofy delights never cease although the show contains an underlying melancholy. This deepens the material from fun-in-purgatory kid’s concert to a more subtle and briefly rueful meditation on the gift of life.
Jim Lichtscheidl was a fantastic Karnak, snarky and mechanical. The kids may be nerdy stereotypes but this talented cast winningly made them come alive, even in death. I especially enjoyed Becca Hart’s ethereally headless Jane Doe, Michael Hanna’s deep voiced Ukranian lover and alcoholic-to-be Mischa and Josh Zwick’s memorable channeling of Marlene Dietrich (and others) as Noel. Everyone, however, made me laugh hard and frequently.
Ride the Cyclone is a winner. This musical comedy is a lightly edgy amusement which has been sprinkled with the macabre and dipped in ridiculousness. Purchase your ticket, get on and take a ride wherever you can find this little gem.
Ride the Cyclone completed its run at The Jungle Theater on October 20, 2019. Their next show will be the holiday themed Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley.