Picture this, one day on September 14th, six teenagers in the St. Cassian Chamber Choir rode the famous Cyclone coaster and got into a freak accident due to the cart derailing, leading to their unfortunate demise. In the afterlife, though, one has the chance to come back to life, but only one. So, the question everyone is asking is… who will it be? Now, you’re probably wondering what the heck I’m talking about. I’m talking about the thrilling musical Ride the Cyclone, and why I think it’s the best dark comedy musical.

My first reason that I think Ride the Cyclone is the best dark comedy musical is because of the characters. The characters in this musical are relatable, realistic, beautifully written, and not to mention really funny. Throughout the musical, each character has their own song. Some characters have songs about why they should be brought back into the world, while others have songs about what they did and would’ve done in life. My favorite character out of the cast is Noel Gruber, a 17 year old boy known as “the most romantic boy in town.” Noel sings about wanting to have a more poetic life, and his desire to have been a dramatic female s*x worker in the old fashioned days. The song he sings, Noel’s Lament, may not seem like much at first, but it actually captures how sad and how little Noel got to do in his actual life, so little that he idolizes the thought of being a tragic female prostitute. In the first couple lines of the song Noel remarks, “In my life, I was Noel Gruber who worked at Taco Bell in Uranium City, Saskatchewan. But in my dreams, I played a different role. I was Monique Gibeau in post-war France! A h**ker with a heart of black charcoal…” The lyrical aspect of the song tells how much thought they put into Noel’s character, and I think it’s nice that they did that, not just for him, but for the other teens in the choir, too. It’s good character development.

My last reason that I think Ride the Cyclone is the best dark comedy musical is because of the story in itself. It’s not just about six teens voting which one of them should come back to life. It also shows every character’s story, and you can’t help but feel bad for the choir for not being able to live their lives how they wanted. A part of the story I really like is after Jane Doe, the girl with no family or friends whom is often forgotten about by the town, sings her song, “The Ballad of Jane Do,” the rest of the choir put a birthday hat on her head, give her a cupcake, and sing happy birthday to her. While it probably wasn’t Jane Doe’s birthday, the rest of the cast did this sweet gesture to prove to her that she is a seen human being, too. A human being who has birthdays and deserves a cupcake every once in a while. That’s one of my many favorite parts in the beautiful story of this musical.

In conclusion, I think this musical is an amazing work of art. Despite it being just a musical, it’s helped me in many ways, and I hope that maybe if you give the soundtrack a good listen; it could help you too! I really hope more people find the appreciation for this musical like the appreciation I have, since it’s so creatively written, and so fun in general!