RIDE THE CYCLONE

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

★★★★

“You come away feeling slightly giddy, but feeling good”

With the proliferation of new musicals roller coasting into theatreland, you’d think it hard to find an original subject to base one around. Currently, there seem to be two ways to go; either you can dredge up an old, safe favourite or else take the quirky route and think outside the box. Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell are obviously advocates of the latter. Six teenagers who die in a freak accident on a fairground ride is an unlikely starting point. A hard sell perhaps? “Ride the Cyclone” first appeared on the Canadian fringe in 2009, before heading Off-Broadway, via Chicago, a few years later. It has taken nearly ten years for it to cross the pond for its European premiere in London but, like those long, concertina queues we used to find ourselves in for the latest fairground attraction, it has been worth the wait.

The musical begins with a mysterious and headless girl circling the stage, singing a short song, dreaming of life. Cut to the even more mysterious ‘The Amazing Karnak’ (Edward Wu), a mechanical fortune teller, watching from on high. He is able to predict the exact moment and method of a person’s death. Even his own – which is very imminent, despite him already being in the afterlife (we can overlook this minor quibble) preparing himself to introduce the perished teenagers. Karnak has a game for them. Each will be given the chance to tell their story, in song, to win the chance to return to life. What follows is a cycle of song and monologue that occasionally baffles but always delights with its mix of absurdist humour, candid insight, bizarre ideas, emotional honesty and musical virtuosity. Irreverently frivolous one moment, genuinely heartfelt the next. Admittedly it borders on the saccharine at times, but the writers’ sharp knife always cuts through it in time.

Wu’s Karnak holds the fort like a camp and deadpan Greek God. First up is Ocean, played with real zest by Baylie Carson. Satirically self-important, she still manages to get the others’ backs up, especially best friend Constance (Robyn Gilbertson). We have to wait a while for Constance’s song – ‘Jawbreaker/Sugar Cloud’ – during which Gilbertson truly shines, revealing a deeper character than one who lost her virginity ‘just to get it out of the way’. A highlight of the show is ‘Noel’s Lament’, a gorgeous cabaret pastiche performed by Damon Gould with expert dancing and a velvet voice as he dreams of being a French prostitute. The eclectic quality of the musical numbers is demonstrated when Bartek Kraszewski’s Mischa brilliantly launches into a gangsta rap number complete with a flourish of breakdancing, while Grace Galloway’s headless girl lends her gorgeous operatic soprano to ‘The Ballad of Jane Doe’; a stunning waltz number that induces goosebumps. Then there is Ricky, whose dream of becoming an intergalactic saviour of sexy cat women (don’t ask) is brought to life in song; stunningly performed by Jack Maverick.

Director Lizzi Gee amazingly manages to bring cohesion to this disparate and totally bizarre concoction of life stories. Her choreography is meticulous, adapting itself to each and every genre and musical style seamlessly. There are moments when the inter-song monologues outstay their welcome, but the overall ride still remains on the peaks rather than the troughs. Musical Director Ben McQuigg’s five-piece band mixes power with clarity, and embraces the variety of the repertoire with panache. Every cast member has the vocal, movement and acting skills to tackle the material, making this eccentric show appear to be the most natural and obvious idea for a musical imaginable.

It is a thrilling ride, one which has that sense of danger even though you want to laugh out loud, right up to its upbeat finale. You come away feeling slightly giddy, but feeling good. Against all better judgement you find yourself wanting to join the queue again for another go.

RIDE THE CYCLONE

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Reviewed on 19th November 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Danny Kaan

Recently reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

GWENDA’S GARAGE | ★★★ | November 2025

WYLD WOMAN: THE LEGEND OF SHY GIRL | ★★★★ | October 2025

HOT MESS | ★★★★★ | October 2025

LIFERS | ★★★ | October 2025

THE CHAOS THAT HAS BEEN AND WILL NO DOUBT RETURN | ★★★★★ | September 2025

THE ANIMATOR | ★★★ | August 2025

BRIXTON CALLING | ★★★★ | July 2025

THE WHITE CHIP | ★★★★ | July 2025

WHO IS CLAUDE CAHUN? | ★★ | June 2025

THIS IS MY FAMILY | ★★½ | May 2025

RIDE THE CYCLONE

★★★

“a darkly humorous, moving, and slightly unconventional tribute to a lost generation”

‘Drifting’, written and directed by Andrew Muir in collaboration with Ardent8 Ensemble, brings an underrepresented group of actors to the London stage – those from a predominantly working-class background. This is laudable and to be highly commended in an industry increasingly dominated by those who come from wealth and class privilege.

The play is set against a backdrop of a coastal town shrouded in sea mist – but for the twenty-six-year-old protagonist of the piece convincingly played by Trae Walsh – the mist is more of a fog that threatens to obscure his dream of escaping to the big city. This young university graduate, who has stacked shelves in the local retail park for some years, is in part, reluctant to move on out of loyalty to both his girlfriend and parents and perhaps also fear of the unknown. ‘Drifting’ explores the economic uncertainty and courage it takes to pursue a different path and will certainly resonate with the younger generation. ‘Drifting’ also resonates broadly, as its theme of life-changing decisions is universal.

There is much humour in this piece and occasional moments of joy although this is often undercut by a sense of the characters making do and scraping by. In one moment, out of pent-up frustration for his predicament, our young protagonist claims that ‘the closest I’ll get to Naples is fucking Nando’s.’

The actors work well as an ensemble and there is much raw talent on display here including that of Walsh who plays the Young Man. Toby Batt – the father who works as a taxi driver, and Phoebe Woodbridge the mother, also pull off playing much older characters and their well-meaning but small-town mentality is convincing and emotionally relatable. Lewis Allen’s well observed portrayal of a supermarket manager who has sold out to the system is often hilarious and Yarrow Spillane too puts in a fine performance as the Young Man’s girlfriend who is quite happy staying put.

Bethan Wall, the set and costume designer, has provided the audience with a set that highlights important themes in the play and includes scaffolding, an enormous ladder and flickering promenade lights. Characters either climb the huge ladder as low paid workers to stack shelves or in a desperate attempt to escape the often-grim reality of living in a deprived coastal town.

There is a strong rhythm and forward momentum to the writing particularly in the earlier scenes. The script is also interwoven with a poetic lyricism which helps to give greater depth and richness to the piece. As do the more tender moments between some of the characters: the dance between the young man and his friend and work colleague (beautifully played by Amirah Alabere) and the portrayal of the working-class parents whose love for their son is ultimately misguided. However, some departures into fantasy and surrealism, although well-intentioned and ambitious, I felt were at times more mystifying than mysterious. The ending of the play also doesn’t quite hit the mark as the line between realism, surrealism and social commentary is blurred and consequently somewhat confusing.

‘Drifting’ follows close on the heels of another play (‘The Chaos That Has Been And Will No Doubt Return’) also staged recently at Southwark Playhouse . This too centred around a working-class character who wished to escape from his small town. Southwark Playhouse deserves credit for showcasing these voices; ‘Drifting’ is a darkly humorous, moving, and slightly unconventional tribute to a lost generation.

RIDE THE CYCLONE

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

★★★★

“You come away feeling slightly giddy, but feeling good”

RIDE THE CYCLONE

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Reviewed on 19th November 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Danny Kaan

Recently reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

RIDE THE CYCLONE

RIDE THE CYCLONE

RIDE THE CYCLONE

DRIFTING

Southwark Playhouse Borough

★★★

“a darkly humorous, moving, and slightly unconventional tribute to a lost generation”

DRIFTING

Southwark Playhouse Borough

Reviewed on 18th November 2025

by Tim Graves

Photography by Mark Douet

Recently reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

DRIFTING

DRIFTING

DRIFTING

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