"Ride the Cyclone" at Arena Stage

Arena Stage production photo by Margot Schulman

Finding myself with no particular plans on a weekday afternoon in D.C., I decided to check out a matinee of a rather bizarre-sounding musical at the Arena Stage. Also, I'd never been to this theater, so it all sounded like fun. The website describes it a "a quirky cult musical". Let's hop on the roller coaster, then, shall we?

The Play

First off, the blurb on the website says this:

In Ride the Cyclone, the lives of six teen chamber choir singers are cut short in a freak roller coaster accident. Stuck in the afterlife, a mechanical fortuneteller gives them a chance to sing their way back to earth.

Not exactly the sort of set-up one expects for a musical. I'm kind of anticipating a weird cross between Big: The Musical and Forever Plaid. After seeing it, I'd say that's somewhat accurate, but add in a smattering of Zombie Prom, too.

The blurb is not wrong. This is exactly what we signed up for. Each of the six teens will get a solo number in which to make a case for why they should be the one to get to live again. The songs are actually pretty clever, and the rest of the cast gets to perform backup roles.

I should note that while waiting for the show to start, I read in the program that the show is set in "a dilapidated warehouse in Uranium City, Saskatchewan, Canada" and I had time to do a little quick Internet research. Uranium City is a pretty interesting story in itself, and having a little familiarity adds a bit to the enjoyment of the show.

Anyway, considering I came in with pretty mild expectations, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the script.

The Production

I thought Arena did a nice job with this. It's a co-production with the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ, so the show had already run for a while with many of the same artists there. But there are new/local artists involved. For the matinee I saw, one of the characters (Katie Mariko Murray as Jane Doe) was making her first appearance in the show, having just finished a run as Cinderella in Into the Woods at another local stage the preceding weekend. She was terrific, especially considering she'd had one full rehearsal (I learned at the post-show talkback).

All told, I was impressed with the production. The set is quite cool looking, definitely giving the vibe of a dilapidated warehouse full of carnival stuff. One has to wonder why the mechanical fortune teller booth is plugged in (it's a plot point, so just go with it), but Marc Geller (The Amazing Karnak) gets big points for spending the entire show crammed into that little booth space while acting like a mechanical man.

All of the actors do a good job bringing their characters to life (so to speak). And though I can't say I was surprised at the ending, I will say that it manages not to feel inevitable, which is a credit to both the script and the production.

Bottom Line

I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the show and the Kreeger Theater. And the post-show talkback was good, too. All of the cast members involved obviously enjoy being in this show, and seem eager to share it with the audience.

The show has been extended to March 5th, so if you're in the D.C. area and looking for a fun show, this could be your ticket!