What to say about viral social media sensation “Ride the Cyclone”? Well, the first thing to say is that I’ve been listening to MickeyJoTheatre’s thoughts on previews so, in accordance with those thoughts, this review should not be appearing until after Press Night. If you see it before then, that means I’ve ballsed up. I’m sorry – there’s a lot going in at the moment.
The second thing to say is that there’s a lot of hype to live up to. Any musical that is “lost”, even when it’s been captured on record, naturally creates a bit of a cult following and RTC is no exception. I’ve tried listening to the soundtrack but it made almost no sense so I was looking forward to seeing how the book pulled it all together.
The third thing to say is that Southwark Playhouse send out a “Don’t Go to the Wrong Venue!” e-mail in advance, which was much appreciated because I had no idea that they even had a second venue. Elephant and Castle has gentrified a lot since we lived around there but I didn’t realise there was a whole theatre there now. So I’m glad they told us, because we would have been a bit late otherwise and the show instructions say that there is a strict “no late entry” policy. I couldn’t imagine telling the teens that they wouldn’t be able to see the mythical musical after all so made sure we were on time. Not easy when VK had a rehearsal at school till 4 and then we had to get everyone across London and fed before finding the theatre. GBK at Waterloo did the feeding job and then we hopped a bus to Elephant, getting there with enough time to go to the loo before it started. It’s 90 minutes, no interval so that is definitely worth doing.
When I say “teens”, I should point out that it was VK’s BFF and Mutti with us, not Nathan and Roo. Not that it makes much difference but yknow, it helps to picture the scene.
The foyer had lots of fairground-themed features, like hook-a-duck and hoopla. We didn’t have much time but we did check some of them out after the show, don’t worry.
We were sitting on the side of the stage, which meant we couldn’t see the backdrop too well. I can’t remember whether they were sold as “restricted view” but they were very cheap tickets, so I’m not going to complain too much. We could see all the action on stage but occasionally there were projections on the curtain or things that happened just behind the backdrop line but then moved forward. If you want to get the best experience, the seats facing straight on would definitely be better. But the teens were just pleased to be there, especially as it was the first preview and so they were among the first people in the whole of the UK to see this Canadian oddity.
If you’re not familiar with the plot, it’s quite straightforward. Six teens die on a rollercoaster and go to a sort of purgatory where they have to sing for their chance to live again. I think “Cats” has a similar plot device. Along the way, they spill secrets and bond, each having their own personal revelation as they go. If you’re at all familiar with the show, it’s probably Jane Doe and her eponymous ballad that you would have heard. If it creeps you out on YouTube, trust me when I say it’s a whole lot creepier in real life.
The cast is just seven people – six of them being the teens and one (Edward Wu) being the fortune telling machine Karnak, who curates the whole purgatory experience. They are all onstage for the majority of the show, so are working hard singing and dancing to genres from hiphop to Ukrainian folk. Plus what VK refers to as the “acid trip” of “Space Age Bachelor Man”. Baylie Carson is the de facto leader of the group – Ocean – who sings about how amazing they are before being told they need to win over their fellow “contestants” in order to win. Ocean holds the show together, being the first one to really clock what’s going on and rallying the others in true Class President style. Then there’s Robyn Gilbertson as Constance, Ocean’s shy best friend and improv partner. Grace Galloway is Jane Doe and, as I mentioned already, superbly creepy with her slowly-blinking doll’s face. Oh yeah, you might need to know that Jane Doe lost her head in the accident and replaced it with one from a doll. I said it was an oddity, didn’t I?
Damon Gould plays the flamboyant but frustrated Noel (the only gay man in town). Bartek Kraszewski plays Ukrainian hardman Mischa, who increasingly displays his sensitive side as the show goes on. The superbly-named Jack Maverick plays the sweet but sheltered Ricky, who dazzles with the aforementioned acid trip, complete with sexy space cats and a giant scratching pole. “This is where it gets weird” deadpans Karnak.
I realise I’m jumping about a bit in terms of the plot but I think that’s OK. The plot itself takes second place to the characters and the songs, which are really the main draw. They’re all complex and multi-layered, with Noel revealing that his secret wish is to be a dead French prostitute and Constance spilling secrets of her own. Each character is, in their own way, cut off from their peers and found a kind of acceptance in the chamber choir that brought them all together and onto that fateful rollercoaster. The relationships between the teens evolve throughout the piece, with former enemies Noel and Ocean coming to a grudging respect and Mischa and Noel bonding in an unexpected way. It’s credit to all the actors that they can convincingly portray teens but also add all the nuance and character depth needed to make this emotionally resonant.
If I tell you that the audience seemed to be mainly quirky teens, with quite some neurodivergent representation, would that surprise you? And if you want to know how I know the neurotypes of strangers, let me answer that quite simply – VK’s BFF befriended them all after the show, both in the lobby and on the tube. And these Gen Alpha kids swap diagnoses before they swap names.
Point being, this story really strikes a chord with teenagers who feel somehow different to their peers. The characters aren’t just fighting for life, they’re discovering who they really are. All except poor Jane Doe, of course.
But if this makes it all sound very introspective and gloomy, then I’m describing it wrong. This is, as Karnak puts it, “Family Fun Novelty” and there is plenty of fun to be had. Right from the very first song, the stage is set for kaleidoscopic chaos. After all, with a choir anthem like “Uranium”, where the choir squawk on wind instruments, what else would you expect?
There are touching moments, such as when Mischa goes from money-obsessed rapper to lovelorn folk dancer, and lots of bits of pure silliness, like the space cats and the human pyramid at the end of Ocean’s song. And then there are numbers which are both silly and touching, like Noel singing about his alter ego, Monique Gibeau. The only song I’d really heard before was Jane Doe’s and that is notable mainly for the extremely high soprano notes – we speculated beforehand that guide dogs might not be allowed in to the show because there are notes that only they would be able to hear. It’s an incredibly hard song to sing but Grace Galloway pulls it off in a crystal-clear tone that cuts through the entire space. The applause at the end of the song went on for ages and it was well deserved.
As a general rule, the audience was very appreciative throughout. Whether it was because it was a first preview booked by devoted fans or whether it was just a extremely well-received show was hard to tell. Yes, there were definitely obsessive fans there but also, a small cast did an amazing of not just mastering all these genres but taking us all on the emotional journey with them. A lifetime’s worth of feelings in just 90 minutes. The teens leapt to their feet at the end and screamed and whooped so I think that is a solid 5 stars from that demographic.
Because this is such an unusual show, I would urge anyone with an interest in musicals to go along and check it out. It may never return to London although, given how fast this run has sold, I strongly suspect it might. There was stuff that was still being finalised – including the merch – but we did buy these super-cute themed lollipops:
There are still tickets left but there might not be once all the reviews come out so click here for tickets and more info. It runs until 10th Jan 2026 so get in there quickly. Don’t forget to ride the cyclone!
