RIDE THE CYCLONE – Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell; Directed by Jennifer Schmitz. Produced by Vintage Theatre Productions (1468 Dayton, Aurora) through June 8. Tickets available at 303-856-7830 or VintageTheatre.org.
A new musical!! Joy abounds! Even if it sounds like it might be a little dark, it is NOT SOUND OF MUSIC. So let’s see what it’s all about.
RIDE THE CYCLONE is built on the plight of six teenagers who met an untimely death in the grips of a runaway rollercoaster. After they wake up in limbo, the mysterious gypsy fortune telling machine offers one of them the chance to resurrect. The choice, however, is based on what they would do with that new life, resulting in a competition which reveals how they spent their past time on earth and what they would do differently in the future. Each of the teenagers gets a time in the spotlight to explain themselves in exceedingly funny episodes that include a wannabe French prostitute, a superhero from an alien Cat planet, a lonely Ukrainian poet, and a heartfelt realization that life wasn’t as bad as they may have thought it was. One poor girl suffered a debilitating injury that removed her memory of who she was and her past. The puzzle is resolved and the decision made to everyone’s delight.
This cast of young singers do a superlative job with rather difficult music, implementing effective and charming choreography led by Carrie Colton. It seems simple – but we know that’s a lie, don’t we? Music Director Jerimiah Otto has schooled the singers in the story songs so, as ridiculous as they are, they still make fun sense. The six singers are Laila Aniyah (in college), Isaac Dechtman (in high school for another month), Sabrina Patten (in college), Megan Schraeder (semi-adult), Silas Vazquez (in college), and Samuel Wersch (a college graduate). But they are all very authentic members of the St. Caspian’s High School Chamber Choir. Daevon Robinson creates a sardonic, sarcastic, smart-talking Karnak, being both mechanical and humane. Don’t keep your eyes center stage ALL the time; his reactions to the kid’s revelations are comical as well.
While the entire evening is fun and worthy of your attention, I was especially touched by a couple of moments to watch (and listen) for. Sabrina Patten as Jane Doe, the girl who can’t remember her past, sings an extremely difficult almost-aria in “The Ballad of Jane Doe.” Her pleas to St. Peter to let her in the pearly gates are executed with rills and operatic vocal runs that must be heard to be believed. Megan Schraeder as Constance sums up the out-of-life experience in a musical “Jawbreaker” that gives her a beautiful OUR TOWN moment to lament all the things she took for granted and now realizes she discounted unfairly. Like her parents. Megan gives this time to reflect a touching meaningful performance. Both Sabrina and Megan and the rest of the cast are fairly new to the acting pool in Denver, but here’s hoping they stick around for a while. I can’t wait to see what they do next.
This little hidden gem of a script that is bound to become a small theatre staple in the genre of LOVE/PERFECT and FOREVER PLAID was found by producer Bernie Cardell and offered to experienced Vintage stage manager Jennifer Schmitz for a directorial debut. It is a pleasure to welcome Jenn to the inner circle of honored Denver directors. We expect big things from her now and accept that they will probably have to bribe her to get back in the booth again.
The set depicting a run down and deserted amusement park was designed by Lexi Renfro and built by Production Manager Brendan Cochran, augmented with clever props by Gabby Lentini. Look for her light up umbrellas! The Canadian school uniforms were created by Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry with Emily Maddox adding the spooky lighting. Russ Kirby added roller coaster sound effects and the whole caboodle was managed by Maddie Morgan.
You may never ride a roller coaster again – but you’ll have fond memories of this evening, nevertheless.
A WOW factor of 8.5!!