Laura and Samara spend their days as non-profit unicorns and fill every spare minute exploring the world of musical theatre as BFFs (that’s Broadway Friends Forever). Follow @bffs613 on Instagram and Facebook.
We’ve been hearing songs from the Ride the Cyclone musical at Broadway Nights Ottawa over the last year or so, but before that, we weren’t familiar with this show about Canadian high schoolers stuck in limbo after a tragic roller coaster accident.
Premiering in Victoria, B.C. in 2008, touring and opening off-Broadway in 2016, the show picked up a bit of a cult following during the pandemic from online clips — yet somehow we missed all that. As ‘Broadway Friends Forever’, we knew this was something that had to be remedied.
Just as we were getting ready to book plane tickets for its revival in London’s West End later this year, Ottawa’s very own Lost Baggage Musical Theatre has saved us a trip with the show’s Ottawa premiere!
This quirky show by Canadian creators Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond is dark and funny, pitting the teens against one another for the chance to return to life for the one who they deem most deserving. Each character has their time to shine and share some of their backstory on the life they have led so far.
Filled with iconic songs you may recognize, including “The Ballad of Jane Doe” or “Noel’s Lament”, the music is catchy and plays out more like a cabaret, with each song falling into a different style that represents that character rather than one flow through theme from beginning to end, but somehow it all works. The addition of the live band on stage helped to bring the songs to life and create depth throughout the show.
Photo by Laurenne Tynski
The cast was superb — Catherine O’Farrell with a fantastic and creepy doll-like impression, Emily Ramdyal as the high-strung over achiever, Dominic Perrin as the tough guy with a soft interior, Gil Skoll as the aspiring tortured poet, Ace Corbin as the silent one who is full of surprises and Llewyn Kinney as the nicest kid in town. Kendra Thompson leads the teens through all the chaos as the all-knowing and future-predicting carnival machine, The Amazing Karnak.
The three swings, Faith MacGea, Isaac Mitchell and Eli Rutherford, add to the incredible vocals and continuous humour, elevating the fullness of the production. With all-around incredible vocals and audience rousing performances, it felt like the perfect blend of talent.
The set was very fun, quirky and well done, which helped the audience feel immersed in the amusement park with the recently deceased teens. With one static main set, it brought the grit, colour and goofiness that just feels right for a carnival. It also did a great job leveraging projections to add to the crystal ball experience of Karnak, while further developing the characters and giving the audience a glimpse into their past life.
Photo by Laurenne Tynski
If you’re a fan of unconventional and eccentric shows and characters like Heathers or Rocky Horror, then you’ll enjoy this ride. A Canadian cult classic, seats are already filling up fast. Be sure to grab your tickets before it leaves without you.
Lost Baggage Management presents Ride the Cyclone at The Gladstone Theatre until June 1 with 7:30 pm evening performances from Thursday to Saturday and 2 pm matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday. The show runs 90 minutes with no intermission. Student pricing is set at $30, and everyone else at $35.
