Cult favorite musical Ride the Cyclone has been adapted especially for performance by high schools, with Ride the Cyclone High School Edition now available for licensing from Broadway Licensing Group. The author-approved adaptation makes the show appropriate for teenage performers by softening offensive language and sexual content, while also creating opportunities for an expandable cast.
The musical centers on six teenagers from a Canadian choir who die in a freak accident on a roller coaster. In limbo, a mechanical fortune teller offers the chance to return to life to one lucky teen—if they can prove why they should be the one to go back. Ride the Cyclone features a book by Jacob Richmond, who co-wrote the music and lyrics with Brooke Maxwell.
The show was first produced at Atomic Vaudeville in Canada in 2008 before making its American premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in 2015. An Off-Broadway run came in 2016, and the show has been produced at various theatres nationwide in the years since. A cast album was released in 2021. The show saw renewed interest thanks to some viral video clips on social media. The #RideTheCyclone hashtag is responsible for more than 325 million videos on TikTok alone.
The High School Edition premiered at Stagedoor Manor earlier this month, performing July 21-22. “Flexibility in casting is a big bonus with this new version, allowing for more young performers, especially diverse performers, to be involved,” says Stagedoor Manor Artistic Director Chris Armbrister. “Moreover, our kids are passionate about the story and score, and a show that inspires passion for the theatre in young artists is magnificent to find.”
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See photos from the musical's 2016 Off-Broadway run below:
