Ride The Cyclone
Alliance Theatre
through May 26, 2019

OK, so this is not your grandmother’s musical. This work by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell hit the stage about 4 years ago in Chicago and The Big Apple, and won many accolades.

It’s not as funny as Cats, nor as dark as Phantom, but it does have a pretty good following. Leora Morris directed this one at the new Coca-Cola Theatre. The story line is that five teenagers were riding a roller coaster in Canada when it went off the rails and they died; only to find that they were in a weird sort of purgatory managed by The Amazing Karnak (Karl Hamilton) who is a fortune teller doomed to his own demise in a short time, and he knows how and when.

The students, all from the small town of Uranium, Saskatchewan are given a chance to see which one of them may be able to return to life, as they sing out stories of their lives, desires, and problems. The three girls are played by Lillian Castillo, Chaz Duffy and Tiffany Tatreau. The guys are played by Kholby Wardell and Scott Redmond.

When these five students wind up in nowhere land, they meet a headless lass named Jane Doe (Emily Rohm) who really has limited ability to recall anything. But, they all take a liking to her. The mechanical fortune teller in the carnival booth is like the usual carnie robot.

It may not be your usual musical experience, for you’ll not leave the theatre humming the tunes, nor recalling who told which story and the details thereof. But, . . . it is exceptionally well presented with live music, very strong and talented players, a set unlike pretty much any other one you’ve seen, and wonderful projected imagery. The technical details are really cool.

It is a new type of experience and very compelling. More info at AllianceTheatre.org