Some musicals are popular before their first production, think HAMILTON. Some musicals become popular only after a successful revival, think CHICAGO. And then you have RIDE THE CYCLONE, a 15-year-old Off-Broadway musical that has become a TikTok phenomenon. Get to know RIDE THE CYCLONE that musical from TikTok your students keep talking about.
Written by Jacob Richards and Brook Maxwell, RIDE THE CYCLONE tells the story of the members of the St. Cassian High School chamber choir of Uranium City, Saskatchewan, who perish on a faulty roller coaster called “The Cyclone”. When they awake in limbo, a mechanical fortune teller invites each to tell a story to win a prize like no other — the chance to return to life. RIDE THE CYCLONE is a funny, moving look at what makes a life well-lived!
The musical premiered in Victoria, British Columbia in 2008. After playing throughout Canada, the US premiere took place at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2015, receiving a limited Off-Broadway run the follow year. In the 15 years since its premiere, RIDE THE CYCLONE has had several successful productions in cities across North America, but it didn’t achieve it almost cult-like status until Gen-Zer’s on TikTok discovered the show.
TikTok is one of the world’s most popular websites. Since its launch in 2016, the TikTok app has been downloaded more than 130 million times in the United States and over 2 billion times worldwide. 41% of TikTok users are between the ages of 16 and 24- Gen-Z! When exactly RIDE THE CYCLONE began to become a TikTok obsession is unknown, but as of January 2023 the hashtag #RIDETHECYCLONE has amassed well over 174 million views alone. Here is a sample of what you will find:
@thebestnotthebrightest I’m shooketh #Musical #ridethecyclone #ridethecyclonemusical #Edit #Ithink #Fyp #fyp #FYP #fypシ ♬ original sound – MarcyReginaWu⚔️😘💅
@hot_little_mess #fyp #foryou #theatre #theatretok #ridethecyclone #rtc #musical ♬ fall fair suite – ok!
To find out why RIDE THE CYCLONE has become so popular with Gen-Z on TikTok we turn to the December 2022 ScreenRant article titled 10 TIKTOK’S THAT PROVE RIDE THE CYCLONE IS AN UNDERRATED MUSICAL MASTERPIECE. In the piece, Author Jake Dee has several theories as to the musical’s TikTok popularity, including that the show is considered “Meme Worthy”, an apparent necessary element for Gen-Zers to deem anything a “masterpiece”. Another of Dee’s theories, suggest the main appeal is the stories main character Jane Doe writing:
“The musically macabre tale of a beheaded everywoman grappling with her true identity speaks to millions of people as a metaphor for mental health but also promises the hope of a new beginning…. despite her circumstances, Jane Doe is an underrated role model.”
No matter the reason, RIDE THE CYCLONE is having a moment. Later this month a 15th Anniversary production begins performances at Washington DC’s Arena Stage. The show also makes it California premier later this year!
No matter the reason, RIDE THE CYCLONE is having a moment. Later this month a 15th Anniversary production begins performances at Washington DC’s Arena Stage. The show also makes it California premier later this year!
As a reader of The Scene, we know you are always looking for the next great show, with this in mind we are happy to be able to provides our readers with the opportunity to check out the show for yourself! A free RIDE THE CYCLONE perusal is available for you to check out now! To access the perusal simply click on the link or image below. After following the link, you will be taken to the RIDE THE CYCLONE show page, once on the show page simply click on the words FREE READ to view the perusal. Don’t forget that any song title highlighted in the perusal, can be listened to by clicking on the highlighted text.
Finally, it’s important to understand that the original version of RIDE THE CYCLONE you about to view contains content that many schools would not be able to perform, have no fear, a new HIGH SCHOOL VERSION of RIDE THE CYCLONE will be available from Broadway Licensing later this winter.
Find out what all the kids are talking about check out RIDE the CYCLONE today! Click here or on the image below to check out a perusal of RIDE THE CYCLONE!
