Department of Theatre Closes Season With Musical 'Ride the Cyclone'

Ash Micheel

Ride the Cyclone

Hang on for a quirky and unexpected musical ride as you climb aboard the Department of Theatre's production of Ride The Cyclone (book by Jacob Richmond, music and lyrics by Brooke Maxwell & Jacob Richmond) opening at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 8, in the Global Campus Theatre.

The musical runs through April 17, and all performances are free and open to the public, but tickets are required and can be reserved online.

As the musical's title suggests, the story is chock full of surprising plot twists as the lives of six teenagers from a Canadian chamber choir are cut short in a freak accident aboard a roller coaster. A mechanical fortune-teller won't let their fates end there and offers each a hint of redemption and the chance to tell their story of a life interrupted. At once strange and smart, edgy and beautiful, Ride the Cyclone ultimately reveals the resilience of the human spirit in spite of senseless tragedy. 

Ride the Cyclone is directed by professor Morgan Hicks, with musical direction by professor Jason Burrow—the same creative team who electrified university audiences with Heathers: The Musical, before its run was cut short in mid-March of 2020 due to COVID.

"So, yes, we understand and perhaps over-identify with the theme of a life suddenly interrupted," says Hicks, who added that she believes students and audiences will connect deeply with the heart of Ride the Cyclone because we all have had so much turned inside out during the last two years.

If the book has surprising twists, the score matches it with plenty of breathless turns as it playfully ranges from hip-hop and glam rock to torch and art songs. A Time Out Chicago reviewer of the 2015 world premiere production writes: "As irreverent as it is accomplished, Ride the Cyclone does the job of any good amusement-park attraction: It makes you consider your mortality, but leaves you grinning ear to ear."

Ride the Cyclone will close out the Department of Theatre 2021-2022 Subscription Season. For a peek at its 2022-23 Subscription Season please visit the Department of Theatre website.

Aditionally, general auditions for the Fall 2022 productions will be April 10-11; all students—majors and non-majors—are welcome to auditions and Spanish-speaking and BIPOC students are encouraged. Click here for more information about the auditions and how to sign up.

Ride the Cyclone will take place in the Global Campus Black Box Theatre (2 E. Center St., Fayetteville) on the historic Fayetteville Square.  Ticket reservations can be made online at uark.universitytickets.com.  

For more information, visit the Department of Theatre online or email theatre@uark.edu for assistance.