Ride the Cyclone
by Jacob Richmond, Brooke Maxwell

Off-Broadway Off-West End

Ride the Cyclone Book Cover — Ride the Cyclone Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

90 mins Present Day Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes

Awards & Recognition

Lucille Lortel Award

Nominee: Five 2017 Lucille Lortel Awards, including Outstanding Musical

Synopsis

In this hilarious and outlandish story, the lives of six teenagers from a Canadian chamber choir are cut short in a freak accident aboard a roller coaster.

When they awake in limbo, a mechanical fortune teller invites each to tell a story to win a prize like no other – the chance to return to life.

Through a wondrously funny and touching series of songs, the teen contestants argue that they should be the ones to be saved.

Told with moving insights into adolescence as well as dark comedic style benefiting the outrageousness of its premise, Ride The Cyclone is a memorable and original musical.

What makes a life well-lived?

Who deserves to have a second chance?

Which are the memories that we will treasure?

All these questions and more are answered in Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell’s stunning work.

Professional Artwork Available for Your Production of Ride the Cyclone Concord Theatricals has collaborated with Subplot Studio to create high-quality artwork that complies with your license.

Promoting your show has never been easier!

Learn more at Subplot Studio .

Press Reviews

"A wonderful, touching and memorable roller coaster ride of a theatrical experience, for teen and adult audiences alike."
— Chicago Theatre Review

"Both eerie and funny, as well as subversive, serious, touching and great."
— Vulture

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
THE AMAZING KARNAK Male, 35-50. Non-singing role; the narrator; a mechanical fortune-telling machine.	male	50	Male, 35-50. Non-singing role; the narrator; a mechanical fortune-telling machine.
OCEAN O’CONNELL ROSENBERG Female, 18-25. The leader of the group, relentlessly competitive, sometimes cruel, though she sees herself as a virtuous person. High Broadway mix, with a pop quality; big range.	female	18-25	Female, 18-25. The leader of the group, relentlessly competitive, sometimes cruel, though she sees herself as a virtuous person. High Broadway mix, with a pop quality; big range.
MISCHA BACHINSKI Male, 18-25. Adopted from the Ukraine as a teenager; he has thick Ukrainian dialect and a lot of rage; he is obsessed with Gangsta Rap and an enormous fan of Auto-Tune but has a hidden, soulful romantic side. Baritenor with the ability to sing lyrical Ukrainian folk music as well as rap.	male	18-25	Male, 18-25. Adopted from the Ukraine as a teenager; he has thick Ukrainian dialect and a lot of rage; he is obsessed with Gangsta Rap and an enormous fan of Auto-Tune but has a hidden, soulful romantic side. Baritenor with the ability to sing lyrical Ukrainian folk music as well as rap.
NOEL GRUBER Male, 18-25. The only gay kid in Uranium; never had a relationship; obsessed by French New Wave cinema, he has fantasies of dying a tragic death. Must be able to sing in the style of a French chanteuse.	male	18-25	Male, 18-25. The only gay kid in Uranium; never had a relationship; obsessed by French New Wave cinema, he has fantasies of dying a tragic death. Must be able to sing in the style of a French chanteuse.
RICKY POTTS Male, 18-25. Ricky Potts is a mute boy with an overactive imagination.He gains the ability to speak in the afterlife and talks about his fantasies of the Zolarian galaxy. Baritone rock voice; basic accordion and/or tumbling a plus.	male	18-25	Male, 18-25. Ricky Potts is a mute boy with an overactive imagination.He gains the ability to speak in the afterlife and talks about his fantasies of the Zolarian galaxy. Baritone rock voice; basic accordion and/or tumbling a plus.
CONSTANCE BLACKWOOD Female, 18-25. Overweight, and outwardly okay with it, but also has a very deep self-loathing. Will do anything for Ocean’s friendship and allows herself to be used as a doormat; dubbed “the nicest girl in town,” a title she secretly despises. Very likable comic actress; alto belt with a rock edge.	female	18-25	Female, 18-25. Overweight, and outwardly okay with it, but also has a very deep self-loathing. Will do anything for Ocean’s friendship and allows herself to be used as a doormat; dubbed “the nicest girl in town,” a title she secretly despises. Very likable comic actress; alto belt with a rock edge.
JANE DOE Female, 18-25. She was decapitated in the accident and no one claimed her body, even though she isn’t headless in the piece (but often carries around a headless doll). She reacts in a literal way and largely without emotion, almost robot-like; the other characters are totally freaked out by her. Classically trained soprano with a flexible coloratura upper range and some grit and meat in the lower register.	female	18-25	Female, 18-25. She was decapitated in the accident and no one claimed her body, even though she isn’t headless in the piece (but often carries around a headless doll). She reacts in a literal way and largely without emotion, almost robot-like; the other characters are totally freaked out by her. Classically trained soprano with a flexible coloratura upper range and some grit and meat in the lower register.
any performer playing any role in the musical. While pronoun changes are fine to accommodate the performer’s interpretation, any changes to the book or lyrics beyond these changes must be cleared by the authors.	—	—	in the musical. While pronoun changes are fine to accommodate the performer’s interpretation, any changes to the book or lyrics beyond these changes must be cleared by the authors.