Playbill: In 2008, a new show about six teenagers who were killed in a roller coaster accident began in Victoria, British Columbia. The quirky, morbid musical played several other productions throughout the following decade, first coming to the U.S. with a run at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and then arriving in New York City with a run Off-Broadway.
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I have never seen “Ride the Cyclone” myself, but the show is absolutely on my must-watch list. Coming from an age where theme-park entertainment is fairly prevalent, I have always been fascinated by them, and seeing as this show somewhat centers around one is certainly a start. However, I find that the most interesting facet of this show is its ability to tell a tragic story in an entertaining and interesting light by flipping the narrative around to tell the audience that the cast is already dead; there is no saving them, and getting attached will only hurt you more. As well as that, from some of the vocal work I have heard from the show, the range of voices and catchy backing tracks create a really interesting narrative surrounding the atmosphere of the show, and the fact that these were kids who died. These kids were teenagers, and enjoyed teenage activities and music genres, and that creates a modern atmosphere a younger audience can directly relate to.
One thing I wish had been made clear in the article is if the ride had been based on a real accident. I spent the past fifteen minutes trying to find if there had been an accident on a roller coaster killing five teenagers. I have not been on a roller coaster in five plus years, and thanks to this research, I will probably never go on one again. Like the old lady that I am, I do not have a TikTok account and have never heard of this musical before. It seems like a wonderful production, but it may be a bit dark for my taste. It’s not that I am against shows dealing with more tragic subjects, it is more that in a world where young people are dying at concerts, in school shootings, and in war zones, I don’t have the desire to hear about teenagers dying on the boardwalk.
The best thing about this article is how Brooke Maxwell, one of the two creators, talked about how this is a sign to all artists that even if their work is not an instant hit, it can always become a hit with the next generation.
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