New Musical Ride the Cyclone Opens Tonight

MCC Theater’s staging of the new musical Ride the Cyclone officially opens November 30. Billed as “part tragedy, part comedy,” it tells the story of a high school choir that boards a faulty roller coaster with tragic results. An opening night party is scheduled for December 1.

Ride the Cyclone arrives in New York following a U.S. premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the fall of 2015. The original musical by Canadian writers Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell generated strong buzz in Chicago, including positive reviews from The Chicago Tribune and The New York Times.

Broadway producer Kevin McCollum, known for taking risks on unknown and original works such as Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights, and Hand to God, is presenting the run in association with MCC. Ride the Cyclone marks the third musical in MCC’s history, following the revised premiere of the cult musical Carrie in 2012 and the stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Coraline in 2009.

Rachel Rockwell, who directed the Chicago run, returns to direct the New York premiere at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

As previously reported on Playbill.com, cast member Taylor Louderman exited the Off-Broadway production on November 23, citing creative differences. She was replaced by Tiffany Tatreau, an original cast member from the Chicago production.

The cast also features original Chicago cast members Lillian Castillo, Karl Hamilton, Emily Rohm, and Kholby Wardell, joined by Deaf West’s Spring Awakening star Alex Wyse, Gus Halper, The Last Ship’s Johnny Newcomb, and Peter and the Starcatcher’s Emily Walton.

Ride the Cyclone features book, music, and lyrics by Richmond and Maxwell. The engagement is scheduled to continue through December 18. Scroll through production photos below.