★★★★

“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.

HERE YOU COME AGAIN

Riverside Studios

★★★★

“an unexpected gem (or should that be rhinestone) of a show”

Should Dolly Parton ever fall on hard times, there is definitely a career for her as a self-help therapist. At least according to the feel-good musical “Here You Come Again”. The Country icon is given enough sugary lines to inspire the most misanthropic among us to cheer up and join in a group hug. The show is an undeniably cheesy affair, but bonkers enough to be brilliantly entertaining, camp, funny and toe-tappingly tantalising.

This is not a musical about Dolly Parton, although we do get a couple of superficial glimpses into her backstory. It is, in fact, about Kevin. It is the summer of 2020 and forty-year-old Kevin is back home, holed up in the attic of his parent’s house. The pandemic is in full swing and he is isolated with nothing to keep him company but his childhood memorabilia: Dolly Parton records and posters. Split up from boyfriend Jeremy and with his professional dreams unfulfilled, he is careering towards a mid-life crisis. “What would Dolly do?” he muses. Lo and behold, Ms Parton walks into his life out of his dreams. Or rather crashes into it, exploding from a poster on his bedroom door in a genie-like puff of smoke. Richard Pinner’s illusions are pretty impressive throughout.

Written by American comedy writer and songsmith Bruce Vilanch, with Gabriel Barre (who also directs), and writer and actor Tricia Paoluccio (who also stars as Dolly), it has been anglicised by Jonathan Harvey who provides additional material for the production’s UK run. Apparently it has also been wholeheartedly endorsed by Parton herself, so things are looking good. With the help of its two protagonists, things are looking great. It is an unexpected gem (or should that be rhinestone) of a show. ‘Unexpected’ in the sense that its structure is a surprise, rather than expectations were low. It defies musical convention – no big ensemble; just Tricia Paoluccio as Dolly with Steven Webb as Kevin. It is a curious mix of stand-up, soap opera and jukebox musical. A live band wander on and offstage with backing vocalists also playing cameos as Mum, Dad and ex-boyfriend.

Paoluccio is a dead ringer for Dolly, especially vocally. Totally at ease, she handles the platitude-rich dialogue with good humour and an infectious energy, but it is when she bursts into song that she truly soars. Webb is magnificent as the struggling comedian, Kevin. Eccentric and neurotic, nerdy and needy, and self-deprecating, he knows the joke is on him. And although the jokes are often bad (intentionally so, we like to suspect) the couple have great fun with them. Their relaxed banter drives along smoothly until it reaches the exit slip road to the next musical number. The signposts are obvious and the dialogue becomes somewhat contrived. We are never allowed to forget that the show is a vehicle for Dolly Parton’s back catalogue. But, hey, why not? That’s the whole point, and the creators have found a unique and inspired framing device for such a recognisable repertoire. The favourites are all there, of course, along with a few lesser known hidden secrets.

Country music is notorious for shrouding intelligently bleak lyrics in an upbeat camouflage, a concept that spills over into the script – so that whenever the dialogue is at risk of becoming dark or deep, Dolly’s relentless optimism (or ‘insufferable positivity’ as Kevin calls it) over-sweetens it with way too many spoonfuls of sugar.

You certainly don’t need to be a fan of Dolly to appreciate the show. In fact, even if you claim not to be (though I suspect you’re just in denial) I’d still urge you to see it. The sense of fun is intoxicating and the performances are exceptional. The personal touches they add to the songs are often hilarious too – their rendition of ‘Jolene’ is worth the ticket price alone. We are even given a whirlwind medley of the greatest hits at curtain call, during which the show morphs into full-on gig mode. The crowds are now on their feet. This finale may have absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the show, but most of us have forgotten the plot by now. We’re just basking in Dolly’s light and forgetting our troubles. Kevin certainly has – he’s a whole new man. This is a joyous musical, but beware – you’ll be humming those songs well into the New Year.

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

HERE YOU COME AGAIN

Riverside Studios

★★★★

“an unexpected gem (or should that be rhinestone) of a show”