Rising Arts Productions: Ride the Cyclone - Review by Chris Brennan

Ride the Cyclone is a strange, dark, funny and yet surprisingly heartfelt musical that manages to combine comedy, tragedy, and genuine emotion into something completely unique. With an unusual premise, memorable characters, and eclectic musical styles, the show is unlike most traditional musicals. The story follows six teenagers in a school choir from the fictional town of Uranium City who are killed in a tragic roller-coaster accident. They find themselves trapped in a mysterious limbo, where the magical mechanical fortune teller named Karnak offers them a chance to return to life.

Sydney’s most recent iteration of this unique show comes to us from Rising Arts Productions held in the Flight Path Theatre in Marrickville. Rising Arts is a community theatre company that operates out of Illawarra and South West Sydney and is making a ‘crash’ in the Inner West with this fantastic show. One of the strongest aspects of Ride the Cyclone is its characters. Each teenager has a distinct personality and background, and their individual musical numbers allow the audience to understand who they were before the accident. The actors’, lead by Director Jarrod Resinger, performances are outstanding at maintaining their unique personalities throughout the show. Eva Homola’s portrayal of Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg expertly cultivates the manic and obsessive nature of the character. Kane McCarthy’s Noel Gruber truly embodies the dichotomy of the character through their apathetic sass towards the world and the sensualistic nihilism that Noel is known for. Louie Cuff’s Mischa Bachinski manifested Mischa’s passion and rage. Cuff’s comedic timing and reactions really brought the character to life. Pita Lolohea as Ricky Potts’ carried beautiful vocals and extended musical talents paired with his comedic acting, reeled us in waiting to see what he was going to do next or what instrument he would pull out next. Xia Lian Wilson’s Jane Doe brought a fresh energy to the character. Her balletic movement paired with simultaneous operatic notes while on pointe was as impressive as it was beautiful. Jane Doe’s unnerving makeup, designed by Baby Franklin, made this character a standout focus of the show. Sophia Laurantus’s Constance Blackwood deftly delivers the emotional monologue at the climax of the show. She easily tugged on the heartstrings of the audience and rest of the cast. Finally, Kay Mae White’s The Amazing Karnak was an amazing mix of flippancy and foreboding throughout, acting as narrator of the events, awarding points and playing with the sanity of Ocean’s character.

The music was equally impressive. Rather than sticking to one particular style, the musical jumps between genres, including pop, rock, jazz, rap, and musical theatre. This variety of musical styles was expertly handled by the Musical Director Emma Snellgrove and her band with clean instrumentals throughout the show. With a dynamic set, lighting and media design provided by Sienna Bourke, Isabella McCory, Chase Coussen and Dash Rule, the small theatre becomes an immersive world for the audience, providing a nostalgic feeling for times spent at Luna Park as a child. Anyone who frequents community theatre performances knows that technical issues are par for the course on opening night, and this was no exception, however we can forgive these as the performers professionally navigated their way through mic mishaps, set snafus and prop malfunctions, occasionally using these instances to improvise expertly to provide comedic and memorable moments for the audience and creating a sense of ease in the theatre. Despite the ridiculousness of its premise, Ride the Cyclone also explores some surprisingly serious themes. The characters are forced to confront questions about identity, regret, death, and what makes a life meaningful. The musical constantly balances humour with sadness, often making the audience laugh one moment and feel genuinely emotional the next.

Overall, Rising Art Production’s Ride the Cyclone is an inventive and entertaining musical that successfully mixes absurd comedy with genuine emotion. Its unusual story, memorable performances, diverse music and darker themes make it a refreshing change from more conventional musicals seen in the community theatre space. It is weird, funny, occasionally disturbing, and surprisingly moving. Most importantly, it leaves the audience thinking about how precious and unpredictable life can be. Ride the Cyclone is definitely a musical worth experiencing, especially for anyone looking for something completely different. The only advice I can provide you is, as Karnak tells us, “Your Lucky Number is 7. You will soar to amazing heights. Be sure to ride The Cyclone.”