First Stage Young Company presents: RIDE THE CYCLONE, THE MUSICAL (High School Edition)

Lio Landis, Hazel Dye, Thomas Alberto Bastardo, Evie Maassen, and Max Larson in RIDE THE CYCLONE (HIGH SCHOOL EDITION). First Stage Young Company, 2025. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.

Mackenzie Wooten as Jane Doe and cast in RIDE THE CYCLONE (HIGH SCHOOL EDITION). First Stage Young Company, 2025. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.

By Mary Boyle

​Canada, our hockey playing and maple syrup making neighbors to the north, have made some worthy additions to our collective pop culture.  I mean, where would we be without the music of Drake, Justin Bieber, or Céline Dion?  Think of all the great movies that wouldn’t exist without Ryan Reynolds!  And though there have been some great contributions when it comes to theatre, none have received the counter-culture cult following like 2008’s Ride the Cyclone by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell.  The musical premiered in our neck of the woods at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2015, then Off-Broadway the following year and, though it has yet to be made into a full-blown Broadway production, the musical has been quietly gathering mainly young fans far and wide, particularly after a 2022 video of Emily Rohm singing “The Ballad of Jane Doe” went viral on TikTok.  The young fandom inspired a high school version of the play, which Milwaukee audiences can catch thanks to the First Stage Young Company, who delivers an impressive performance of RIDE THE CYCLONE, THE MUSICAL (High School Version) through April 12, 2025, at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center.

Directed by Michelle LoRicco, The Cyclone is the name of the roller coaster that was the final life experience for the St. Cassian High School chamber choir from the small fictional town of Uranium City in Saskatchewan.  We meet the choir after the tragic accident in a strange limbo where an animatronic fortune teller (Edward Owczarski) hosts a game in which one of the deceased can get a chance to return to their life, but there’s one catch: the group must unanimously choose the winner.  Ocean (Evelyn Maassen), a straight A student and all-around overachiever, is certain she should be the pick, even over her best friend, Constance (Hazel Dye).  Mischa (Max Larson), a bad boy from Ukraine, and Noel (Lio Landis), a gay boy who would rather be tragically French, must work harder to state their cases, while Ricky (Thomas Bastardo), who couldn’t even speak before his untimely end, was virtually unknown by his fellow choir members.  Most mysterious of all is the addition of Jane Doe (Mackenzie Wooten), an unknown classmate who was also found dead (and headless) at the scene of the accident.

A delightfully dark and creepy ride with a Nightmare Before Christmas vibe, Ride the Cyclone as the High School Edition is more streamlined and family-friendly, but still incredibly vocally challenging; however, the YC cast is more than up for the task.    Mackenzie Wooten is flawless as Jane Doe, whose operatic solo is the star of the musical, but the rest of the cast members are equally perfect for their roles.  Once again, the Young Company blew me away with their talent, not just on the stage but also as part of the production team.  The costumes by Michelle Verbos, lighting by Marion Frank, and music direction by David Bonofiglio all combined to make for the authentic Ride the Cyclone experience that fans are looking for at an unbeatable ticket price.  Do not miss this show.

RIDE THE CYCLONE, THE MUSICAL (High School Edition) runs through April 13th at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, located at 325 W. Walnut Street in Milwaukee.  The musical runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission and is recommended for families with young people ages 13-17 and theater lovers of all ages.  Tickets are available by calling (414) 267-2961 or online at firststage.org.
 
About First Stage
Founded in 1987, First Stage is one of the nation’s leading theaters for young people and families, and a driving force behind the creation of the best and most innovative plays for family audiences, theater training programs for young people, and education initiatives for its schools and community. First Stage ensures that all programming is not only accessible to its community but that it is reflective of the community it serves.

First Stage produces plays that honor the young person’s point of view, include diverse and traditionally underrepresented voices, and inspire meaningful conversations. First Stage has presented more than 70 world premiere productions that address important subject matters relevant to today’s youth. The Theater Academy is one of the nation’s largest high-impact theater training programs for young people (3-18 years old). Through a challenging curriculum taught by professional teaching artists, the Academy nurtures life skills through stage skills and includes the Next Steps Program that tailors Theater Academy classes to the needs of young people on the autism spectrum and with other developmental disabilities. As Wisconsin’s leader in arts-integrated education in schools, First Stage’s dynamic Theater in Education Programs cleverly blend theater activities with standard curriculum—allowing more than 10,000 students annually to learn traditional academic subjects through creativity and self-expression. 
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First Stage is a member of TYA/USA, the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, the Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education, Milwaukee Arts Partners and is a cornerstone member of the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF). For more information, visit firststage.org.



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