Ride The Cyclone

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Creepy and fun... two words I didn't expect to use together. It's all a game, and the winner gets their life back. Secrets are spilt and so much is at stake. Are you ready for a ride?

In the small town of Uranium City, members of a school choir group take a ride together on the roller coaster, The Cyclone. A ride to their death. This musical follows a group of children in a surreal limbo where a mechanical fortune teller forces them to compete to regain their lives. Southwark Playhouse Elephant is finally showing this wild and highly anticipated show! The noise for this musical has been loud and incredible.

If you love a musical and a sinister story, then this is going to be your perfect night out. There are fairground games dotted around the theatre foyer to get you in the playful mood. Going into the theatre after having the fun of the games, letting out your inner child and then being put into this space where you watch the fun and vulnerability of being at the fair is turned into an eerie battle for life is a strange juxtaposition. This is highlighted in the joyful nature of the music, but the lyrics and set create this dark environment, which makes you tense for the sinister tale that is about to unravel.

Each character brings a different energy to the tale, and the actors put an abundance of spirit into their roles. They all have differing abilities, which brings something different to each scene. The competition aims to give a reason why they should get their lives back, and they all have to vote for who they think should be chosen. With this in mind, each scene is the characters telling their stories, revealing their inner vulnerabilities and even secrets. Nothing is left unspoken.

Grace Galloway plays 'Jane Doe', the character whose body was found without a head, and none of the characters know who she is. Galloway gives an epic performance of the headless character; her light-headed movements and characterisation remind the audience that she has no head. Her song, 'The Ballad of Jane Doe' was performed incredibly. Galloway has a voice of many textures and styles, and she showcases this in her adaptation. The audience is drawn to her character. The emotional connection she creates, along with the empathy you feel towards her character, makes her character arc compelling and clear. As a whole, the cast has brilliant movement skills in terms of choreography and how they have embodied their characters. Damon Gould charms and amazes the audience with his incredible dance skills, especially in his solo and his delivery through movement helps you understand his character at a deeper level. The way the scenes flow into each character's story one by one feels unnatural and predictable, as to where the story is going next. This gives the show as a whole a bit of a stop-and-start nature.

As soon as you enter the main theatre, you are greeted with bright lights, creepy music and a set that brings this fairground to life... a scary fairground from your nightmares. The 'Amazing Karnak' fortune teller is placed at the top of the set, above the other characters, and this immediately displays to the audience that he has control of the story. Whilst the placement of him in this position helps the audience understand the authority of his character and how the story will be led, with the set-up of the seating and theatre, this makes him difficult to see properly if you are sitting in the stalls below the balcony. They also project images and videos on the curtains, and if you are sitting on the sides, you can't see the images. This makes you feel as though you are missing out on a snippet of the story or that you don't get the full effect of the atmosphere they are trying to create with this creative choice. There are some beautiful design choices, though, such as the headless body, the revolving stage and the elements on stage that make the set-up feel like a game. A very sinister game.

Whilst I did admire the juxtaposition of the playful and fun fairground elements and upbeat music, with sinister lyrics and plot. I feel on the fence with my opinion of the show. The story is clear, the creepy atmosphere is wonderful, and there is a fantastic cast. It just feels like audience experience from all angles was needed, and the flow from scene to scene needed a bit more care. It's a good theatre experience, but it's just not the next best show. It has a lot of potential to be brilliant. I think the musical fans are going to eat this show up! Can't wait to see how it develops, and the cast are powerhouses.