When the boarding call advises we’re to buckle in and prepare for the ride, there’s really no way to prepare for this show. Ride the Cyclone is a wacky high-energy musical with a bizarre narrative and delightfully strange characters.

Six students from the St. Cassian High School chamber choir perish in a freak accident on a carnival rollercoaster. The teenagers find themselves in limbo, where a fortune teller offers one a chance to live again, provided they can sing their way out of death. Each is given a moment in the spotlight to plead their case as to why they should be chosen.

With music, lyrics and book by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, this production, directed and choreographed by Kris Sergi, leans into the musical’s mania. Singing, dancing, cartwheels and gymnastic feats are packed into the show, while the score jumps widely between musical styles, from auto-tuned rap to soaring operatic ballads. Not every number lands, but the performers commit wholeheartedly.

Natalie Patterson (Jane Doe) is the standout. With doll-like movements and an operatic voice, she delivers a haunting ethereal ballad that becomes one of the production’s highlights.

Kavisha Karunarathna portrays Constance as the timid member of the choir, though when she finally lets loose, she unleashes impressive vocal power and sass. “Jawbreaker”, with lyrics “I used to think that life was just a jawbreaker”, becomes a memorable turning point.

Kayla Ingle-Olson (Ocean) is a pocket-rocket bundle of energy, executing front splits with ease. Relentless and overbearing, she perfectly captures the typical type-A overachiever determined to win her way out of purgatory.

Liam Faulkner-Dimond (Ricky) delivers perhaps the most absurd number of the night with “Space Age Bachelor Man”, introduced with the warning “it gets weird now”. And it truly does with the cast meowing, gyrating and turning into furries.

Brock Cramond thrills the audience with Noel’s camp cabaret fantasy of becoming a French prostitute, complete with heels and corset. He occasionally misses the high notes, though somehow that only adds to the fun.  

Riley Druce (Mischa) plays the Ukrainian bad boy. While the auto-tune rap number is entertaining, the parody Ukrainian dance sequence is less successful.

A live band performs behind a sheer curtain: Ben Fram (drums), Zack Keen (bass, cello), Gianna Cheung and Ellen Buckley (keyboards), Aya Ghachi (electric and acoustic guitar). At times, however, the music drowns out the cast, causing some jokes and lyrics to be lost beneath the volume.

Inspired by broken carnival machinery, forgotten attractions and abandoned relics, Kathryn Smith’s set feels distressed and dysfunctional. At its centre is a giant cog that doubles as an elevated rotating stage, giving each performer their own spotlight moment.

This ride is delirious, unhinged, and wildly imaginative. Ride the Cyclone is entertaining chaos, perhaps best enjoyed with a group and a few drinks beforehand.

3 stars

Presented by Company of Dramatic Arts Ride the Cyclone is playing at Eternity Playhouse, Darlinghurst, Sydney until 30 May 2026.

Run Time: each performance is 90 mins (no interval)

For tickets visit Humanitix or Today Tix