(Left to right) “Ride the Cyclone” cast members Shauna Marie (Constance), Becky Keeshin (Ocean), George Lorimer (Mischa) and Mackenzie Leland (Jane Doe) in rehearsal. Credit: Leda Hoffmann
Comedy and drama are rarely seen together in a single musical, but The Contemporary Theatre’s rendition of “Ride the Cyclone” aims to blend the two genres.
“Ride the Cyclone” follows a group of recently deceased high school choir students, all of whom perished in a freak roller-coaster accident; when a mechanical fortune teller known as “The Amazing Karnak” informs them only one child can be revived, an entertaining but emotional decision-making process ensues, according to the theater’s website. The show will open Thursday and run until May 5, the website states.
Throughout its objectively grim plot, “Ride the Cyclone” still depicts moments of glee, Leda Hoffmann, the theater’s artistic director, said.
“The Contemporary’s mission is to create productions that are relevant to the current moment, and I also have this personal task that it must have an element of joy,” Hoffmann said.
Hoffmann said this “element of joy” will help envelop audience members in a whirlwind of storytelling.
“I think the writers of this show have done such a great job of using so many different musical styles,” Hoffmann said. “You’ve got your traditional music theater, but you’ve also got your rap. You’ve got your Ukrainian folk song. You’ve got opera.”
The show’s brief 90-minute runtime adds a sense of thrill to the entire production, Hoffmann said.
“You get to go on this ride into this strange and bizarre world with everybody, which is what makes it so much fun to see and so much fun to rehearse,” Hoffmann said.
Hoffmann said several set-design elements — like deep red accents, collapsed beams and a plastic sheet that doubles as a projector screen — will ensure the stage feels like a liminal space.
“The theater seats 200 people, so no one’s that far away from the action,” Hoffmann said. “We’ve created a world where we’re imagining a roller coaster sort of crashed into this theater, and this old carnival warehouse exists.”
The show does not shy away from humor, but Hoffmann said any and all laughs seek to highlight a greater message.
“How do we actually deal with the reality of this play, which is that these kids are dead?” Hoffmann said. “One of them gets to live, and how do you decide whose life is worth saving?”
Notably, Hoffmann said she noticed a resurgence in public appreciation for “Ride the Cyclone” during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said many people, particularly those who belong to a younger demographic, were forced to reckon with the idea of mortality on a deeper level.
(Left to right) “Ride the Cyclone” cast members Mackenzie Leland (Jane Doe), George Lorimer (Mischa), Becky Keeshin (Ocean) and Shauna Marie (Constance) in rehearsal. Credit: Leda Hoffmann
“We live in a world where people die way too young,” Hoffmann said. “Young people want to talk about it and not just pretend it isn’t happening, and maybe that’s why we love this weird show.”
Mackenzie Leland, the actress playing Jane Doe — one of the roller coaster crash victims, who is unidentifiable due to decapitation — said learning the role has been equal parts haunting and ethereal.
“Grappling with mortality is such a deep and personal and important thing to show on stage because at its core, theater is showing the human experience,” Leland said.
Though her character quite literally lacks an identity, Leland said she is not without complexity.
“She’s just kind of wide-eyed, soaking it in, trying to figure things out — how life works, how people work and always kind of searching for a glimmer of who she might be,” Leland said. “Her soul, her name, whoever that may be.”
While not much is known about Jane Doe’s past, Leland said she has brought her own personal life into the character to elevate her story.
“I like to find traits that I see in both myself and the character and kind of lean into those, and I’d say Jane and I are both pretty curious people,” Leland said. “As someone who grew up with undiagnosed ADHD, there were a lot of times where I felt kind of like an outsider, like I didn’t naturally fit in with the other kids around me, and that’s another trait that Jane has.”
Leland said working with a smaller cast has allowed actors to create deeper relationships with their characters and each other.
“We have more time individually because we’re all on stage the whole time, and we aren’t in our dressing rooms,” Leland said. “We aren’t divided or even backstage. We’re together all the time. It feels a lot more like a team effort.”
Leland and Hoffmann said they hope viewers will walk away from the show considering life’s beautiful fragility.
“Life is something that you really need to treasure and maybe learn from the experiences of these characters,” Leland said. “Their perspectives on small-town life and being big dreamers, I think is something that people from everywhere can relate to.”
More information about “Ride the Cyclone,” including ticket prices and showtimes, can be found on the theater’s website.
