” Ride The Cyclone” the Musical reviewed by Edie Reese

[rating=4] Can a fifteen-year-old quirky musical about a half-dozen teens killed in a freak roller coaster accident develop a cult following? Apparently it can, as several Gen Z audience members traveled from Michigan to Lake Forest to see 4 Chairs Theatre’s production of “Ride the Cyclone” last night, playing now through February 25 at the Gorton Center’s John & Nancy Hughes Theater. The musical follows six members of a Canadian chamber choir who are stuck in “limbo” after dying when the roller coaster they are riding derails. (Don’t worry, folks, no gory scenes in this show.) A mechanical fortune teller tasks each character with singing their “audition” for a chance to live again. According to the “rules” set out by the fortune teller, only one character can have a new life.

The overlooked hero of this production is Ian Rigg, who plays The Amazing Karnak, the mechanical fortuneteller. Rigg (not a small man) is sandwiched inside a smallish booth for the entire show. In fact, he is onstage in his booth before the show begins. The audience was admitted about twenty minutes before the show started, and Rigg did not move a muscle. I could not even see that his eyes ever blinked. He was a master of control until the time came for him to speak, and then his movements were appropriately stiff and robotic, just as one would expect those of a mechanical man to be. The rest of the time he sat stock still.

The rest of the cast (Kristin Brintnall as Amy O’Connell Rosenberg, Caden Marshall as Mischa Bachinski, Jacob Belovicz as Noel Gruber, Joel Arreola as Ricky Potts, Rebecca Husk as Constance Blackwood and Michaela Dukes as Jane Doe) are not only individually vocally strong, but also their voices blend extremely well. There is a little something for every musical taste in this show, including Broadway musical, teen pop, opera, rap and 40s-style French chanson. Inventive dance moves by choreographer Abby Boegh keep the cast continually moving on the full-sized stage. Lighting Designer Rich Torrres keeps the mood of the show appropriately dark while still providing enough light to see the characters onstage. As there is no curtain between “acts,” changes in the lighting help differentiate between scenes. Sound Designer Jackson Letman has several difficult technical issues: amplifying a band which includes two keyboards, a guitar, a cello and drums, plus six moving actors (all body mic-ed) plus creating slight reverb for The Amazing Karnak’s voice. He manages to keep them all in balance.
Music Director Anna Wegner directs the band at the perfect tempo (herself, plus Tyeese Braslavsky, Michael Locklear, Michelle Akin and Paige O’Rourke); much of the music is written in a minor key and could get bogged down if performed too slowly. Wegner keeps things moving along so that the audience is never bored. Set Designer Bob Pinta, Props Designer/Scenic Artist Susan Mason and Assistant Props Designer Amy Torf create the mood of the dilapidated amusement park, including old carnival ride relics and a lighted sign spelling “Cyclone” with the letters at odd angles. Although the choir members wear their school uniforms for most of the show, Costume Designer Victoria Jablonski pulls out a few quick change surprises that leave the audience both stunned and giggling. The rest of the technical staff includes Stage Manager Abby Rakocy, Production Manager Emily Marrazzo, Assistant Stage Manager/Dialect Coach Erol Ibrahimovic, Backstage Manager/Set Dresser Mikey Barker and Stage Combat/Intimacy Director/Montage Designer A.J. DePew.

The show is directed and produced by Lauren Berman, the founder of 4 Chairs Theatre. 4 Chairs Theatre is a not-for-profit theater company committed to providing a safe space for students, actors, and audiences of all ages, cultures, genders races, abilities and walks of life. In addition to plays, the group conducts workshops and produces educational programs. Like many Chicago-area shows, the production of this show (originally scheduled for 2020) was delayed by the COVID pandemic. Lauren is intrigued by the central question presented by this show—What does it mean to have a life well lived? The answer, of course, is different for each one of us.

“Ride the Cyclone” (book, music and lyrics by Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond) remaining dates are as follows:
Saturday, February 18, 2023
Sunday, February 19, 2023
Friday, February 23, 2023
Saturday, February 24, 2023
Sunday, February 25, 2023

All performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at https://our.show/4chairscyclone. Ticket prices are $22 each.

The Gorton Center is located at 400 East Illinois Ave., Lake Forest. Parking in the Gorton Center lot can be tight. Dining spots are plentiful in surrounding Lake Forest, but reservations for most places are recommended.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click “Ride the Cyclone- the Musical”

To learn more about the organization, visit www.4chairstheatre.org

Editor Note: I also went to see this sparkling production of what has become a “cult musical”. The audience was filled with young people and many were in costumes and wore jackets with the logo. They came from Michigan, Wisconsin, Indians and Ohio to see this very special show. It was a huge success in previous productions, and Berman made sure that her audience got what they came for. A talented cast that put it all out there in bringing their characters to life ( so to speak).