CODA: Ride the Cyclone - Review by Daniel Conway

I am often late to the party when it comes to new musicals. You name a new and exciting show and I guarantee you I was months, if not years, behind. Ride the Cyclone had never really been on my radar; when I asked someone what it was about I was told it is kind of like Six, but spooky. They were not entirely wrong, and of course it was a simplification, but they were not quite right. Both shows are one-act pieces that give the characters an individual story beat in order to win a prize. But what Ride the Cyclone has going for it is the interstitial scenes and the fairly grounded relationships that made this show such an enjoyable time and drive home the emotional resonance. CODA's production brings together a talented cast and crew to tell this story about time, regret, and mortality.

Photo Credit to Izzy Sergi

Director and choreographer Kris Sergi clearly has care and love for the text that has shaped this production, and it is clear in the attention to detail and staging choices. The set, for instance, is truly magnificent. The depth created by the scale of the pieces on stage is striking. Functionally they frame the projection, hide the sightlines, and all of the other things that a set is meant to do, but the attention to detail put in by scenic designer Kathryn Smith and assistant set designer Peter Mussered cannot be understated. Every element felt intentional, with a consistent colour scheme and conceptual link to the narrative of the show — it was an amazing way to set the tone and establish the space. I think Sergi's use of the revolve was well done, never feeling overused or gimmicky. The only number where I felt the staging fell short was Jane Doe's performance, with the platform being just too far back for the manacles, making them feel underutilised in my opinion. That being said, Sergi made some great choices with movement to create dynamic and engaging numbers. Ride the Cyclone is not dance-heavy, but it does require a lot of movement to help tell the story. The musical direction by Benjamin Olivera was a clear highlight. The band sounded so tight and the vocals and ensemble work were so good that it can only be the result of a great team with a strong leader. Where the production fell down was in the mixing. On opening night I found myself straining to hear some of the featured parts in group numbers, and any time music accompanied Karnak it became a struggle.

Ride the Cyclone is a small ensemble piece, and it should be noted that CODA has double-cast this production, so I will only be talking about the performances I saw on opening night. Michael Haratzis plays The Amazing Karnak and has one of the most incredible speaking voices I have ever heard. This was an outstanding voice acting role for Haratzis, who injects so much personality and life into a role that could so easily be one-dimensional. Sergi has made the choice to have Karnak's actor play the role under a mask and remain on stage as the robot the entire time, which I think is brilliant, and Haratzis nails it. I seriously debated the whole show whether this was a person or a puppet, and then finding out they have to preset before the house goes live and just sit there — mad respect.

Kayla Ingle-Olson might have been genetically engineered in a lab to play Ocean O'Connell Rosenberg. Ingle-Olson has so much confidence and bravado; she plays the overachieving, selfishly selfless character so well. Her voice is exceptional and her scene work was one of my favourite things on stage. This is especially true when paired with Kavisha Karunarathna. As Constance Blackwood, Karunarathna has a really charming awkwardness that shone most when paired with Ingle-Olson's bombastic confidence. Their rapport on stage felt really lived-in and helped to elevate both performances. That being said, the meek role melts away when Karunarathna sings. Her powerful voice is a great antithesis to the softly spoken character she portrays on stage.

Liam Faulkner-Dimond is such a gem on stage. Playing Ricky Potts, Faulkner-Dimond had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. His solo number was a clear crowd favourite — partly because of the great staging, but also because he was so charismatic. When Ricky comes into his full confidence, you could not help but smile. Making the audience comfortable was not the intention of Natalie Patterson as Jane Doe. Patterson's job was to be creepy, mysterious, and off-putting, and she did that very well. While I do think her entrance took a fraction too long, when she came on stage the cast felt complete. She has a beautiful voice and rose to the challenge of being tragic yet aloof, whimsically vague whilst also communicating the struggle of connection. Jane Doe can't connect — that is the point of her story. How can you connect when you don't know who you are? Patterson's work stands out when you consider how one-dimensional this role could come off.

Brock Cramond is a scene-stealer as Noel Gruber; his number is high camp and he looks fantastic doing it. Full of confidence and energy, Cramond has great comedic timing. Every cutting remark lands, fully embodying the bitchy creative queer kid in the best way possible. What elevates this performance for me is the interaction with the other cast members — the way he moves on stage and in character, his reactions to what is happening around him shift the role away from caricature and into grounded performance. I could actually say the same about the hilarious turn from Riley Druce as the awesome Mischa Bachinski. Druce is so present and engaged on stage; he oozes charisma and has an infectious energy. He was perfectly cast in this role. Similar to Faulkner-Dimond, Druce's number is a crowd favourite because it is just so infectiously fun, and that is in no small part due to his showmanship.

CODA's Ride the Cyclone is slick and professional, full of remarkable talent and backed by a great band and a team of creatives who clearly care so much about making good theatre. While I knew nothing about the show before, I will never forget it now.