Ride The Cyclone is a sure-fire, five-star, standing-ovation hit. You can either take my word for it and book a ticket right now, or you can risk missing out entirely.
Your choice.
If you do want to know more, read on—though be warned: major plot spoilers lie ahead. If you’re planning to invest some of your hard-earned cash in this little slice of brilliance down in Elephant and Castle, you may want to stop reading here.
The first thing to know is that this is by no means a new show. Developed in Canada, where it premiered in 2008, and subsequently in the US—where it has gathered a devoted cult following and enjoyed an off-Broadway run in 2016—Ride The Cyclone arrives at Southwark Playhouse Elephant in a form honed over more than fifteen years. Cut, re-written, reshaped, polished, and refined: it shows, and all for the better.
It’s a deceptively simple tale with a simple message: enjoy the ride.
So, what’s it about?
In the fictional town of Uranium City, the less-than-stellar St Cassian High School chamber choir heads to a local amusement park. A catastrophic rollercoaster accident—yes, the Cyclone of the title—kills five teen choir members and a mysterious stranger who is decapitated in the crash.
Enter The Amazing Karnak, a fortune-telling automaton who can predict the future, including the exact moment of his own demise. Played with delicious deadpan precision by Edward Wu, Karnak offers the teens a final chance: if they can decide among themselves who most deserves to return to life, that one person will be spared.
So who will it be?
The gloriously self-absorbed extrovert Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg (Baylie Carson)?
The seemingly ordinary but quietly extraordinary Constance Blackwood (Robyn Gilbertson)?
Unfulfilled gay dreamer Noel Gruber (Damon Gould)?
Ukrainian rapper Mischa Bachinski (Bartek Kraszewski)?
Mute sci-fi obsessive Ricky Potts (Jack Maverick)?
Or the uncanny, compelling Jane Doe (Grace Galloway)?
What follows is a clever sequence of musical numbers and character pieces in which each teen makes their case for survival. The score ranges from classic musical-theatre styling to Danny Elfman-inflected oddities, exploring each character’s backstory, home life, and unfulfilled ambitions.
Standout numbers include Noel’s Lament—his fantasy of being a French courtesan must truly be seen to be believed—and Ricky’s explosive Space Age Bachelor Man, both bona fide showstoppers.
As those titles suggest, the show carries a strong Rocky Horror/Return to the Forbidden Planet vibe, and it’s easy to see why it has inspired such a devoted fanbase.
Lizzie Gee’s direction and choreography bring Richmond and Maxwell’s eclectic score to vivid life, supported by Ryan Dawson-Laight’s witty sets and costumes and Tim Deiling’s atmospheric, inventive lighting. The five-piece band under Ben McQuigg is tucked away out of sight—and yes, there’s a rat that plays a guitar. You’ll have to see it to understand.
Honestly, my face still hurts from smiling, and the show finished two and a half hours ago. Can I say fairer than that?
Go see.
Book, Music, & Lyrics: Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell
Director: Lizzie Gee
Cast includes: Baylie Carson, Grace Galloway, Robyn Gilbertson, Damon Gould, Bartek Krazewski, Jack Maverick, Edward Wu
Until: 10th January 2026
Running time: 90 Minutes, no Interval
Photo Credit: Danny Kaan