The plot of Ride the Cyclone, which opens May 29 at Farmers Alley Theatre, unfolds rapidly. A Catholic school choir attends a contest at a fairgrounds, where they ride a roller coaster that derails, killing them all in the first two minutes of the show. They then find themselves in a "carnival purgatory," hosted by a Zoltar machine-esque narrator named Karnak (played by Steve Brubaker). Karnak offers them a game: only one can return to Earth. However, the characters soon realize this is their last chance to express their true selves. This leads to a series of "wild, outrageous numbers" that showcase diverse musical styles, from "a tangoish, Argentine tango number into a rap number into a pop princess number into an, I don't even know what you call the outrageous space age bachelor man number," says director Leonard E. Sullivan. He, actor Faith Northcutt (Jane Doe) and managing artistic director Jeremy Koch join Cara Lieurance to preview the show.
Northcutt, an equity performer who recently toured with Hairspray and Mamma Mia, is particularly excited by the opportunity to "celebrate something so different" with Ride the Cyclone. She and two other cast members from the Hairspray tour, were requested by Sullivan, who was assistant director of that tour. He says " I knew [Farmers Alley Theatre] would love their energy and their essence."
Ride the Cyclone runs through Jun 15 at Farmers Alley Theatre. Tickets are running low. More information is at this website.