Review: Ride The Cyclone (Southwark Playhouse Elephant)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As a great philosopher once exclaimed - "Life is a rollercoaster", but Ronan Keating failed to add so is musical theatre. There are highs and lows, sometimes it's a bumpy ride and there's always the slight risk of it coming off the rails completely. That is where Ride The Cyclone comes in - not a disaster by any stretch, but a musical set after a tragic accident on a rollercoaster certainly gives it a unique selling point. Would the long-awaited UK premiere of this cult favourite prove to be a thrilling ride, or would this cyclone get swept up in itself?

Premiering in Canada in 2008 and running off-Broadway in 2015, it has taken 17 long years for Ride The Cyclone to make its UK debut, and given it broke Southwark Playhouse’s record for the most tickets sold within the first 24 hours of sale, it’s safe to say many had been waiting for this. It’s rather fitting it has taken 17 years since its premiere as that’s how long the characters in Ride The Cyclone had before their tragic demise. Finding themselves in limbo after their ride on the cyclone rollercoaster cuts their lives short, six teenagers each step into the spotlight to prove why they deserve a second chance at life, with one lucky teen promised another ride (at life, that is. I’m not sure they’d want to ride the Cyclone again).

In some ways, the premise reminded me of Cats, where one is able to go to the Heaviside layer - not the only Cats similarity to be found here, but more on that later. There is also a similarity with Six as each character battles to determine who comes out on top. Despite these comparisons, and with the knowledge that Ride The Cyclone predates the latter, this musical is wildly original.

Written by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, Ride The Cyclone feels unpredictable and unconventional yet oddly familiar and safe. Though it may not follow the set path of most other musicals, there is the sense that you are in stable hands as you are guided through the journey in a pacey 90 minutes. It is also unashamedly weird, letting its freak flag fly as it wears its weirdness on its sleeve. The night before seeing this, I saw another weird musical - one that attempted to be weird purely for weirdness sake, forgetting it still needs to be accessible and enjoyable. These are two things Ride The Cyclone always keeps in the forefront of its mind, knowing full well its identity, and doubling down in a way that is hard to resist.

The writing is frequently funny from the first minute. An opening gag regarding theatre etiquette with armrests had me howling… followed by an assumedly new line commenting on this specific venue, which gave me an even bigger laugh. The laughs kept coming thick and fast - the deaths of six teenagers may not seem like the most appropriate thing to laugh about, but there is an intelligence to the writing throughout Ride The Cyclone that never feels insensitive. In fact, the opposite is true in a story that is packed full of heart in some surprising ways - the result is a show that is strangely life-affirming. Acceptance, Identity and debate over what constitutes a full life makes this a show that perfectly balances stupidity with something far smarter.

Lizzi Gee’s direction similarly impresses, making full use of the space at Southwark Playhouse Elephant in a way some other productions I have seen there recently haven’t quite managed to do. An impressive set design from Ryan Dawson Laight and some jaw-dropping illusions from Richard Pinner makes Ride The Cyclone a thrilling show visually, giving Gee some fine tools to play with as she realises some truly fantastic sequences. This really comes alive (forgive the pun) on the bigger musical numbers, with elaborate and fabulous choreography, also courtesy of Gee.

Ride The Cyclone boasts one of the strongest ensemble casts I have seen in quite some time, making it impossible to single out any of them. They may be voting to find a winner amongst them, but I can make no such decision as they are all incredible in their own right. Though his character, The Amazing Karnak, may be lifeless by definition, Edward Wu is anything but that, with his monotone and dry delivery compelling to watch, leaving his performance every bit as amazing as his character’s name suggests. Grace Galloway similarly has an unconventional character, but delivers her Jane Doe with relish, bringing the house down with her big musical number ‘The Ballad Of Jane Doe’ and always demanding you keep an eye on her, even when it’s not her turn in the spotlight.

Baylie Carson gives a delightful turn as Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg, even if the character isn’t quite as likeable as the performer. Robyn Gilbertson melts hearts as Constance Blackwood, delivering what may have been the standout musical number of the night with a rousing ‘Sugarcloud’. Jack Maverick wows with his big number ‘Space Age Bachelor Man’, complete with alien cats in a completely surreal sequence that may be one of the strangest things I have ever seen in the theatre, but also may be one of the best. Bartek Kraszewski shows real range as Mischa Bachinski, with a stunning ‘Talia’, and Damon Gould brings the house down as Noel Gruber, first through his dry character proving a comic highlight, and then through a sensational performance of ‘Noel’s Lament’. It is hard to pick highlights among each sequence as each one proved consistent in how striking they really were.

I went into Ride The Cyclone unaware of the show in any way - I had never heard any of the musical numbers, and was only vaguely familiar with the top line of the concept. Looking around the theatre to see so many dressed up and a real sense of excitement in the air (resulting in a squeal the moment the show started) as well as a rewards system already in place for repeat viewing and the entire theatre decked out with photo ops like I had not seen before, it became clear this really was a cult favourite, and one that had a sizeable following. It didn’t take me long to realise why - Ride The Cyclone is what a musical should be. Dangerous and exciting, yet comforting and satisfying. It may not be to everyone’s tastes, but to this reviewer, I discovered a new favourite, finding myself completely swept up in the show. It may not be completely perfect, but that is all part of its charm. For the most part, this show is impossible to fault - refreshingly weird, it really is a thrilling ride from start to finish.

Ride The Cyclone plays at Southwark Playhouse Elephant until 10th January. Tickets from https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/ride-the-cyclone/ 

Photos by Danny Kaan