Ride the Cyclone
Opportunity Theatre
TICKETS: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1509068
Ride the Cyclone, a cult favourite among Gen Z
audiences by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, follows six teenagers from St.
Cassian High School’s chamber choir who die in a roller-coaster accident and
awaken in limbo, competing for the chance to return to life. Part of Richmond’s
“Uranium Teen Scream Trilogy,” the 90-minute musical struggles to find a clear
voice, with its central message becoming muddied—something even the show itself
wryly acknowledges.
The story is framed by The Amazing Karnak, a mechanical
fortune teller who can predict death. He gathers the teens and invites each to
argue why they deserve a second chance. At its emotional core is Jane Doe, a
mysterious headless girl whose unknown identity becomes pivotal to the show’s
conclusion.
The absence of theatre company and production credits in the
program is very strange; however, the production is co-directed and
co-musically directed by Diana Baddam and Jax Brooks, with choreography by
Ayeisha Everett and Jax Brooks.
Typhoon Cast (18th April 2pm) - 8 out of 10
As the Amazing Karnak, Matthew Thompson opens the show with a commanding, impressively consistent mechanical performance. Even when not directly in the action, he remains engaged, idly playing with cards or poker chips within his ‘box’.
Jessie Rouse fully delivers on her promise in her bio to
give everything to Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg, crafting a character rich in both
strengths and flaws. Her showcase number, What the World Needs,
introduces the ensemble with impact and proves a crowd-pleasing highlight.
Ayeisha Everett brings sharp comedic flair to Noel Gruber’s Noel’s
Lament, while also revealing the character’s underlying loneliness and
longing to perform. Their fantasy of life as a French sex worker becomes one of
the show’s memorable moments.
As Mischa Bachinski, Connor Foremann leads This Song Is
Awesome and Talia, the latter enhanced by projected found-footage
visuals. Foremann captures Mischa’s Ukrainian duality—anger and passion—with
clarity, creating a layered and engaging performance.
Even before her showcase number, Lucy Oster steals the show
as Ricky Potts. Her explosive rendition of Space Age Bachelor Man,
complete with a soaring high B6 and an amazingly quick costume change, marks a
clear highlight. Beyond her feature number, Oster maintains relentless energy
throughout, often drawing focus even in ensemble moments.
Diane Baddam’s haunting The Ballad of Jane Doe
silences the audience. While the character’s headless nature isn’t physically
depicted, effective makeup and explicit dialogue bridge the gap. Baddam’s
unsettling movement quality further reinforces the character’s eerie presence.
Sofia Turner delivers a heartfelt performance as Constance
Blackwood, the kind-hearted best friend to Ocean. Her showcase sequence, Constance’s
Bumper/Jawbreaker/Sugar Cloud, is grounded, warm, and vocally assured,
providing one of the production’s most sincere and moving moments.
Technically, the production is strong overall. A few
lighting cues briefly falter but are quickly corrected, and sound remains clear
throughout—aside from a few stray instances where a mic picks up backstage
whispers.
The set is simple, with the venue’s curtain perhaps overused
to create intimacy and temper the orchestra’s presence. Behind it sits a
two-step platform spanning much of the stage, with a smaller platform
downstage. Karnak occupies one side, balanced by an otherwise unused box on the
other. School uniforms are straightforward but effective, while the showcase
costumes provide visual flair, supported well by the alternate cast as
ensemble.
The orchestra is charmingly costumed as mice, including a
playful opening feature for the bassist, who “chews through” Karnak’s cords to
end his mechanical life.
This may be Opportunity Theatre’s third musical, but with such a young, promising cast, they’re quickly becoming a company to watch in Adelaide’s community theatre scene—one audiences will be eager to follow.
- Andrew Broadbent
Hurricane Cast – (18th April 7pm) - 7 out of 10
The Hurricane cast presents the show with character, life, and
enthusiasm. The ensemble excels, supporting the principals with tight harmonies
and generally solid choreography, though more of the stage space would have
strengthened moments.
Bryce Young, as Karnak, leads the proceedings well and has a good presence
despite a couple lapses in concentration that causes him to lose his lines (it
happens to us all!).
Alicia Hancock dominates the stage as Ocean and their numbers were some
of the peppiest in the score. Like a few of their castmates, they tend to
sacrifice vocal strength for character which led to the occasional pitch issue
in the upper range.
Adam Roling brings the house down as Ricky Potts with his number “Space
Age Bachelor Man” being an absolute highlight and kudos for the bravery of
wearing a costume that really must have made the young man feel quite
vulnerable (not that it showed at all).
Oliver Hallett and Rhys Young are both wonderful in their respective
roles as Noel and Mischa. Hallett’s turn as a French chanteuse is wonderfully portrayed
although vocally a little weak in the lower register and not helped by poor
balance between the band and the stage. Young wrenches every drop of emotion
out of his character and holds a decent Ukrainian accent throughout. He is a
young performer to watch in the future as his skills develop even further.
Jax Brooks is flawless as the affable Constance and her number
“Jawbreaker” is another highlight. She absolutely possesses this character
fully and never broke it.
Darcie Yelland, as Jane Doe, however, is the absolute star of the
evening combining a magnetic stage presence with a voice of the angels. There are fantastic dashes of unexpected humour from her deadpan delivery (her
obsession with Brooks’ Constance, when not even the main focus, is some of the
better stage business I have seen in quite a while).
Technical issues with lights and sound detract somewhat with backstage microphones left on and balance problems between the cast and the visible upstage pit band (and it must be said that the band needed tightening and one of the guitars needed better tuning).
The use of multimedia was perfect for the most part and
added to the impact of the stories being told.
- Rodney Hrvatin
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