Ride the Cyclone: a fantastic and hysterical orgy
Let me say preface this review by saying that I saw Legoland three times, and still believe that it’s one of the best pieces of whimsical theatre we’ve seen nationally in recent years. The pressure for Atomic Vaudeville’s latest Ride the Cyclone to at least live up to its predecessor was huge.
And I’m pleased to share that it has gone further by raising the bar on the company’s own work. This is the first collaboration between Jacob Richmond, an accomplished playwright (Small Returns, Qualities of Zero) and composer Brooke Maxwell, and yet there is a seamlessness and cohesiveness to the piece.
Meet the St. Cassian’s chamber choir, a colourful group of kids from Uranium, Saskatchewan who make the mistake of boarding the Cyclone roller coaster, after which things go terribly wrong for them. As our tour guide through the tongue-in-cheek piece we have The Amazing Karnak, a coin-operated fortune teller who leads us through each child’s back-story up until their untimely demise.
The cast shines as an ensemble, and watching each number I couldn’t help but think “this person was born to be a star”. It’s quite rare to find a cast that lacks a weak link, yet Richmond and co-director Britt Small have found tremendous talent (both performative and musical) in Kelly Hudson as Constance Blackwood, the apparent “nicest girl in town”, Rielle Braid, as the politically harmonized Ocean,Carey Wass as Ukrainian badboy-cum-rapper Misha Bachinski, and Sarah Jane Pelzer as the eerie and evocative Jane Doe. Elliott Loran brings an incredible contrast of beautiful subtleties and over-the-top quirk to his performance as the misfit pianist Ricky Potts, and Kholby Wardell (who plays Noel Gruber) is a name I sincerely hope to see splashed across Mirvish and Dancap marquees in the near future.
As impressive as the cast is the stunning design by Ingrid Hansen (costumes), Michael Franzmann and Britt Small (lighting), and Hank Pine and James Insell (set). The chilling carnival vibe is a huge feat, especially when considering a festival environment and touring show. Choreographer Treena Stubel also brings impressive work to the table, echoing the same carnival and vaudevillian energies, while continuously surprising us. Congratulations to puppeteer Jen Wilcox, and bass-player Alex Wlasenko who do thankless but noticeable work. There are touching moments within the show, but they are far outnumbered by laugh-out-loud guffaws (I nearly fell out of my chair, all because of a single cartwheel – trust me). Ride the Cyclone feels like a fantastic and hysterical orgy between The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Black Rider, and Legoland. And that, I assure you, is a good thing.
Ride the Cyclone by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell is part of this year's SummerWorks Festival. For more information get on the ride here.