Ride the Cyclone
Reviewed by Katie Buenneke
Chance Theater
Through February 26
“Lip sync for your life!” RuPaul tells contestants every week on Drag Race. Ride the Cyclone, now making its California premiere at Chance Theater in Anaheim, makes a similar proclamation, impelling six dead teenagers to sing for a chance to leave the show’s carnival purgatory and survive the accident that killed them.
The story (book, music and lyrics by Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond) introduces the audience to The Amazing Karnak (Robert Foran), our narrator and an animatronic fortune teller in the vein of Zoltar from Big. Karnak explains that a group of five high schoolers rode the Cyclone rollercoaster at a Canadian amusement park, and the coaster failed, causing their deaths. Karnak offers them the chance to return to life if they provide a compelling enough reason for it. Because this is a musical, the teens interpret this as a chance to plead their case via song, offering self-contained supplications to survive.
Under Jocelyn A. Brown’s direction and Lex Leigh’s music direction, the ensemble is strong, but a few individuals shine particularly strongly. Em Flosi is a delight as the living embodiment of a creepy Victorian doll, a teen whose beheaded remains were found with those of the five students. Their impeccably-placed high notes pierce the heart. Foran’s full-voiced Karnak is a captivating narrator, unsettlingly stilted in his physicality. And Rose Pell brings the house down as Constance in the 11 o’clock number “Jawbreaker/Sugar Cloud.”
The technical aspects of the show are strong across the board. The costumes, by Bradley Allen Lock, are plentiful and narratively layered. Nick Santiago’s projection design is so integrated into the narrative that it might as well be the show’s eighth character. Masako Tobaru’s lighting design works in concert with Antonio Beach and Bradley Kaye’s scenic design to create the off-kilter world of the show.
Given the capable team assembled, what keeps Ride the Cyclone from shifting into higher gear is the show itself. It’s quite good in fits and spurts but drags as a whole. The songs feel more like pastiches than truly original compositions, and during numbers like “Noel’s Lament” I couldn’t help but yearn to see Wyatt Hatfield, who plays Noel, as the Emcee (or perhaps Sally Bowles) from Cabaret rather than this pale imitation.
Still, this production of Ride the Cyclone is worth seeing if you’ll already be in the Anaheim area, or if you want to check out a semi-viral sensation (I confess, it hadn’t made it to my corners of the internet, but it has a very dedicated online fan base).
Chance Theater, 5522 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim; Thurs., 7:30 pm; Fri., 8pm; Sat., 3 pm & 8 pm; Sun., 3 pm; through Feb. 26. (888) 455-4212 or chancetheater.com. Running time: 95 minutes with no intermission.
