On Friday, April 25, Staff Writer Mary Cook attended CMTS’ brilliant production of Ride the Cyclone.

A packed crowd filled the Glicker-Milstein Theatre on Friday evening to see the Columbia Musical Theater Society’s production of the 2008 musical Ride the Cyclone by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell. The show started a bit late due to the sheer number of stragglers trying to squeeze into the intimate space—for good reason. Directed by Lúcia Towne (BC ’26), CMTS’ production was captivating and fantastical, brimming with absurdist comedy, catchy dance numbers, and poignant reflections on life and mortality. 

The surrealist plot follows a high school choir from Uranium City, Saskatchewan, who died on a faulty roller coaster called The Cyclone. Now in limbo, each student must tell their story—through song—to a mechanical fortune teller, The Amazing Karnak, in order to win a single prize: one person’s chance to return to life. 

The set, designed by Jackson Key (GSAPP ’25), was extraordinarily detailed. The creaky, wooden structure evoked the notorious rundown fairground ride, constantly reminding the audience of the choir’s fate. The live pit band sat under the set, sporting rat ears and painted whiskers, and kept a steady, circus-like rhythm while simultaneously playing the rodents destined to chew through Karnak’s wires at the show’s end. A cleverly designed portal-like entrance with flashing bulb lights framed the stage, and every element—down to the fortune teller’s ornate box—felt intentional. 

The ensemble cast was the heart of the show. The six-member choir was a hilarious, heartfelt mix of clashing personalities, each given a moment to shine through song and monologue. A reel of the actors’ real childhood photos accompanied each story, grounding the characters’ tragic deaths in touching realism. 

Jaden Natividad (CC ’28) played Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg, a tightly wound overachiever reminiscent of Rachel Berry from Glee (in the best way). She began the ensemble’s storytelling by belting a solo in which she repeatedly affirms to the rest that she is their most valuable player. And just like Rachel Berry, Natividad had such an amazing singing voice that it was difficult for me to remember her character’s narcissistic personality. 

Isabella St. Juste (BC ‘27) played Constance Blackwood, Ocean’s sidekick/best friend and “the nicest girl in town.” Her character is constantly pushed to the side and psychologically beaten down by Ocean. St. Juste redeemed her character’s fate through her empowering number titled “Sugar Cloud,” in which she affirms her star power and reconciles with her regrets in life. 

One of my favorite members of the choir was Mischa Bachinski, played by Cooper Orio (MSDS ‘25), a Ukrainian boy whose mother put him up for adoption and lied about his age on his birth certificate. Orio performed a show-stopping, hip-hop-adjacent rap in which he reflected on the tragic loss of his online girlfriend. His song, completed by a hat that had the word “shawty” printed on it, was simultaneously hilarious and moving. 

Jorim Chua (GS ‘28) brought flair and vulnerability to Noel Gruber, a repressed kid who, in the small town of Uranium, could not fully express his romanticized dream of being a prostitute in post-war 1930s France. Jonah Feinberg (CC ‘25) played Ricky Potts hilariously, putting on an absurd dance number about his fantasy as a “space-age bachelor man” who seduces sexy space cats. 

And then there was Jane Doe—the headless mystery student—played hauntingly by Mimi Gillies (CC ’25). Her performance, paired with an eerie voice modulator arranged by sound designer Catherine Li (CC ’25), added a chilling layer of tragedy to the plot. 

The ensemble harmonized perfectly in both their acting and singing, but none of the performance would have been possible without Justine Dugger-Ades (CC ‘26) as The Amazing Karnak. Dugger-Ades impressively stayed mechanically still on stage from before the play even began to the last moment. Her skillfully robotic movements and monotone voice made her portrayal of the fortune teller machine all the more realistic.

The three-person dance ensemble made up of Catherine Ryan (BC ‘28), Catherine Cerone (CC ‘28), and Cooper Antczak (CC ‘28), was the cherry on top. All three added significant energy to the dance numbers with their constantly changing aesthetic attire and movements staged by Breanna Ellison (CC ‘26). I must also give a huge shout-out to the costume designer Sofia Oltramari (CC ‘27), who styled the ensemble in cabaret-esque fishnets and silk skirts, ultra-realistic cat costumes, funeral attire, and more. 

The creative team went above and beyond in all aspects of energetic choreography by Ellison, ridiculously catchy musical numbers directed by Diego Carvajal Núñez (CC ‘27), and fantastically timed lighting and sound design. Even the tea lights beneath each seat, which the audience was instructed to turn on during Jane Doe’s solo, were a thoughtful and memorable touch. 

Behind all the chaos and color that this production inhabits, Towne’s direction made sure the heart of the story came through. In her director’s note, she quoted Constance, who says, “It took a horrible accident for me to realize how goddamn wonderful everything is.” Ultimately, at the end of the musical, the group chooses to let Jane Doe return to life (spoiler alert!) so that she can remember the wonderful experience of what it is like to live. In doing so, the play asks the audience to remember the same exact thing. 

Ride the Cyclone via Author