REVIEW: Ride The Cyclone
- Tori Bullard (they/them)
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
There’s a reason Ride the Cyclone has developed such a passionate cult following. Equal parts chaotic comedy, emotional coming-of-age story and existential fever dream, it’s a musical that demands complete commitment from everyone involved. Thankfully, CODA’s production at The Eternity Playhouse embraces the show’s weirdness wholeheartedly, delivering a thoroughly entertaining and vocally impressive night of theatre that, while not without its flaws, still leaves a strong impression.
The real strength of this production lies in its cast, with every performer bringing commitment, energy and individuality to the stage.
As Karnak, Michael Haratzis brings a wonderfully dry wit and steady presence, grounding the absurdity of the show while keeping its humour alive. Natalie Patterson’s Jane Doe is haunting and beautifully controlled, balancing eerie physicality with moments of genuine vulnerability, while Liam Faulkner-Dimond fully commits to Ricky Potts’ larger-than-life imagination with infectious energy and charm.
Kavisha Karunarathna brings enormous warmth to Constance Blackwood, with a powerhouse voice that shines throughout the score. Her performance choices are strong and sincere, though at times I found myself wanting slightly more emotional variation and depth within those choices. Still, she remains a compelling and heartfelt presence within the ensemble.
Riley Druce gives Mischa a welcome emotional sincerity beneath the bravado, helping the character feel grounded and genuinely human, while Brock Cramond’s Noel Gruber is vocally exceptional. His performance captures Noel’s theatricality and longing beautifully, though “Noel’s Lament” is somewhat let down by staging choices: the turntable often feels like a hindrance here, with the choreography becoming unnecessarily difficult and at times messy, leaving the cast appearing somewhat not at ease in a moment that should be a clear vocal and emotional highlight.
And then there’s Kayla Ingle-Olson, who is simply phenomenal as Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg. Her comedic timing is razor sharp, her vocals are outstanding, and she manages to make Ocean simultaneously frustrating, hilarious and deeply sympathetic. More impressively, she carefully charts Ocean’s emotional unraveling across the show without ever losing the humour. It’s a confident, nuanced performance that becomes the undeniable centrepiece of the production.
Musically, the show is in excellent hands under Benjamin Olivera’s direction. Ride the Cyclone requires its cast to tackle wildly different musical styles while still functioning cohesively as an ensemble, and this cast rises to the challenge beautifully. Every voice feels polished, distinct and well supported.
Visually, the production has some strong ideas. The use of the turntable suits the cyclical, liminal nature of the show and creates some striking stage pictures. However, within the wide yet narrow confines of The Eternity Playhouse, it also occasionally made the cast feel disconnected from one another. By the end of the show, I found myself wanting a stronger sense of closeness and emotional evolution between the characters.
Similarly, while parts of the choreography were inventive and fun, there were moments where it felt slightly overworked, prioritising movement over storytelling clarity. While some overlap with other productions is inevitable with a show that has such a recognisable cult identity, I found myself wishing for more choices that felt uniquely this production’s own.
Still, CODA’s Ride the Cyclone remains an immensely enjoyable production filled with talent, heart and impressive musicality. While some directorial and choreographic choices stop it from fully reaching its emotional potential, the strength of the performances, ensures this is a ride well worth taking.
You can catch Ride The Cyclone playing at The Eternity Playhouse until the 30th of May
