If you blended the dark wit of Heathers with the existential charm of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, you might come close to capturing the wild, weird brilliance of Ride the Cyclone, Sydney Musical Theatre’s latest production. This cult-favorite musical, written by Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond, spins a tale that’s equal parts carnival nightmare, teen talent show, and philosophical meditation on what it means to live.
The premise is audaciously simple: six teenagers from the St. Cassian Chamber Choir die in a freak roller coaster accident. Now, trapped in a limbo-like carnival, they are offered one miraculous chance, by the mechanical fortune-teller Karnak, to sing their stories, and for one of them, to return to life. What unfolds is a haunting, hilarious, and unexpectedly moving journey through identity, regret, and the fragile beauty of being human.
Each number is a genre-hopping revelation. Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg’s biting self-importance (What the World Needs) crackles with manic energy, while Mischa Bachinski’s hard-edged rap ballad (This Song Is Awesome) hides a tender heart beneath its bravado. Jane Doe’s ethereal lament (The Ballad of Jane Doe) stops the show cold; a ghostly aria of lost memory that would feel at home in Phantom of the Opera’s darkest corners. And then there’s Constance Blackwood’s tearfully exuberant Sugarcloud, which blossoms into the musical’s emotional core: a celebration of joy reclaimed after despair.
Certainly a highlight of this production is the impeccable singing of the cast. Amira Clark as Ocean and Raven Swinkels as Jane Doe are absolute vocal standouts. Kielle Murillo as Constance and Xion Jarvis as Mischa display excellent comedic skills. Andrew Read and Lex Sywenkyj have the audience in stitches during their moments on stage.
The staging is a visual feast of carnival lights, decaying grandeur, and eerie automaton choreography. The ensemble choreographed by Elise Simpson works like a finely tuned ride mechanism: precise, kinetic, and emotionally fearless. Director Ssarah Shanahan has embraced the absurdity of the musical without losing the show’s heart, letting the humour sharpen rather than undercut the poignancy of the thematic concerns.
By the final reprise, Ride the Cyclone well and truly had the audience in its spell. It’s a production that dares to find joy in tragedy, laughter in death, and life in limbo. Beneath the spectacle lies a message that lingers: we are all, for better or worse, passengers on the same unpredictable ride.
To book tickets to Ride the Cyclone, please visit https://www.sydneymusicaltheatre.com.au/.
Photographer: Althaia Frost
