‘Ride the Cyclone’ Is Not Based on a True Story & but It Does Have Interesting Inspiration
‘Ride the Cyclone’ is a musical created by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, forming the second part of Richmond’s ‘Uranium Teen Scream Trilogy.’ Set in the exaggerated Uranium City, the musical revolves around the members of the St. Cassian High School chamber choir from Saskatchewan. These characters meet their deaths on a defective roller coaster named The Cyclone. In a bid to secure a chance to return to life, each character narrates a story to win a reward from a mechanical fortune teller. Due to the interesting premise of the musical, a lot of fans were wondering whether it was based on a true story?
What is ‘Ride The Cyclone’ about
The story of ‘Ride the Cyclone’ primarily takes place in a dilapidated warehouse-like purgatory space that includes the remnants of an amusement park. Several members of the St. Cassian High School chamber choir from Uranium City came to visit the park and met their death on top of a malfunctioning roller-coaster dubbed “Cyclone.” To gain a chance at returning to life, each choir member tells a story, vying for a reward from a mechanical fortune teller. The musical explores themes of grief, redemption, and the diverse emotions associated with different genres of music.
The theme of the musical was so specific that plenty of fans were wondering whether there was some truth to it, at least concerning the first part, where the “Cyclone” malfunctions. After all, amusement park accidents are all but rare. Luckily, no, the musical is completely fictitious, created from scratch by Jacob Richmond and Brook Maxwell.
Post-Katrina New Orleans served as an inspiration
In an interview with New York Times, Rockwell explained that one of the inspirations behind the overall look and feel of the musical was the abandoned Six Flags in New Orleans that was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
There’s this evocative, sad beauty about them. That’s what we were looking for in this production.
Richmond added that one of the inspirations was also one extremely devastating event in his life, the death of his sister. But he clarified that he didn’t want the musical to be overly depressing.
The eclectic music genres presented in the carnival setting allow for the exploration of grief in comic, pensive, and melancholic ways. Each character involved in the accident is associated with their own genre of music, inspired by the different kinds of sounds heard at carnivals or state fairs, ranging from ’50s music and classical tunes to rock and rap.
The music composition takes cues from rock music rather than traditional musical theater influence. The creators crafted a musical journey through different genres, such as a freewheeling glam-rock song inspired by David Bowie, a braggadocious rap, a self-centered pop ballad, and a melancholy yet hopeful jazz funeral-inspired number. Maxwell’s musical influences include rock artists like Tom Waits and his work on ‘The Black Rider,’ serving as a circus soundtrack reference.
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