I remember when Ride the Cyclone took off online. And when things take off online, it’s a bit difficult to get me to partake because God knows I’ve been burned before. But this show fortunately did not disappoint, and for a couple of years now I’ve wanted to see a live performance. With Southwark Playhouse staging the show’s first-ever UK performance, I had a solid opportunity during my recent trip.
Since changes are actively made to this script over the years and there are many aspects open to interpretation, I came in a little hesitant. But frankly, I think this was fantastic. It was clearly made with a lot of love for the show and its characters, and changes and embellishments made sense.
For those unfamiliar with the show, it follows a cast of six Canadian high schoolers - Ocean, Noel, Constance, Mischa, Ricky, and an unidentified Jane Doe - who died in a roller coaster accident on a choir field trip. Under the eye of a fortune telling machine named Karnak (himself about to “die” as a rat chews through his power cable), the teens talk about their lives and dreams, with one chosen at the end of the performance to come back to life. While Ocean presses for someone of value to be chosen, the others sing about their internal lives and fantasies… or, in Jane Doe’s case, her lack thereof.
The staging is dark and dreamlike, set in the warehouse of a run-down amusement park, and this staging absolutely captured that atmosphere. Rather than being a puppet positioned to the side of the stage, Karnak was positioned above the stage and played by a live actor (Edward Wu, channeling Cecil Baldwin and doing some excellent animatronic acting). As with previous stagings, this one makes use of projections and relatively sparse set pieces. The costume changes are excellent, especially for “Noel’s Lament” and “Space Age Bachelor Man.”
The choreography was absolutely fantastic, and the cast has some amazing dancers in it. “Talia” went full-on with traditional dancing from both Mischa and Noel, as well as some surprise breakdancing from Mischa at the end. “What the World Needs” had the High School Musical vibe it deserves as well.
“The Ballad of Jane Doe” was very different from the version most will be used to staging-wise, but - and this may be contentious - I preferred this one. Jane wasn’t flown around the stage, but the floating head illusion using a coffin was fantastic and felt more appropriate for her anyway. The dancing, the funeral scene, and the final coffin lid slam at the end were all perfect, but none of the staging took away from Grace Galloway giving the vocals the full send.
As for changes that will matter to hardcore fans. “Uranium Suite” was used instead of “Fall Fair Suite,” which I understand is the norm but I’ve always thought the latter was stronger. Keeping to the changes made in 2023, Ricky is no longer written as specifically disabled, but rather as mute due to trauma. There were a few other small changes here and there, but nothing that I felt altered the flow of the performance or that newcomers would consider “odd” on a first watch. There’s also a final surprise right at the end, something I’d wished a production would do, and seeing it happens for real was amazing.
Ride the Cyclone is a show that’s extremely flexible, allowing for inventiveness that can make it better or make it feel wrong. Fortunately, this first UK outing for the show is exactly what it needed to be: dark, strange, heart-rending, funny, and gorgeous. I envy new fans experiencing the show for the first time through this production. This may well become the new bar for future productions.
0 comments:
Post a Comment