Ride the Cyclone is an Un-missable Ride

Holy shit Becca Hart. 

Photo by Dan Norman

Pardon the profanity, but I'm just not sure how else to describe one of #tctheater's buzziest ingenues without it. Her performance in the Jungle's season opener Ride the Cyclone - which is a wild ride overall and worth seeing - is a standout that I'm calling early on as one of the best of the year. It's an audacious claim, I know, but I think it's warranted.

Photo by Dan Norman

Backing up a bit - Ride the Cyclone is a new musical that tells the story of a quintet of high school musicians, all of whom are killed as they ride a roller coaster called the cyclone. They are invited by a talking carnie machine named Karnak to play a game for the chance for one of the students to return to real life. The rules? They must unanimously vote for who they send back, which is tough with teenage attitudes running high. The wild card? A headless body was found under the cyclone, that of ghostly Jane Doe. No one knows who Jane is (including Jane herself), so she is entered to play with the five classmates for the chance to return and learn who she really was. Each player spins the wheel to make a case for their shot at Life 2.0, giving a solo about their distinct pasts and what we need to know about them. There are a few surprises revealed during these acts - an obsession with Weimar-era French drag; a fantasy about space sex with a race of kittens; an obsessive goody two shoes who couldn't be more insufferable if she tried; a surprisingly romantic Ukrainian whose tough facade reveals a goey sentimental center; and a lonely but kind girl who struggles to define herself outside of her peer's expectations. It's Mean Girls meets Phantom of the Opera (the Love Never Dies version, to be specific) with a sprinkle of Pippin, a truly weird mix of things that somehow works.

Photo by Dan Norman

The plot can get a little loose at times (if you can't tell in a previous paragraph, there's a *lot* happening here) and some of the stereotypes presented in the way the characters are written could use refinement, but overall I was surprised how well this show worked. That is high key thanks to the amazing performances, which are executed with a crisp military precision that makes the whole thing sparkle. At the heart of it (pun intended) is Becca Hart as the ghastly Jane Doe. I literally gasped the second she appeared on stage; her performance, but particularly her body work and choreography, is truly extraordinary. Nothing about her looks as if it's of this earth, and my jaw dropped several times as she floated through the stage. It's a stunning performance and worth your ticket price alone - do not miss this one, as it's going to be the talk of the town for months to come.

Photo by Dan Norman

The rest of the cast is excellent too. Jim Lichtscheidl (who also masterminded that crisp choreography) brings a striking physical performance as Karnak; he barely blinks and moves just like a machine. His otherworldly performance ties the loose stories of the students together, and he's a magnificent anchor for the show. Shinah Brashears lends her clarion voice as Ocean, the perfectionist that could, and her deliciously hateful performance could be in Mean Girls itself. Gabrielle Dominique is lovely as the shy Constance; I wish she had more time to shine. Michael Hanna is riveting as always as the dark Mischa, clearly having the time of his life. Josh Zwick relishes the strip you never saw coming as Noel, and although probably the weakest of the cast vocally, his charismatic performance is a lot of fun to watch. And Jordan Leggett goes all in as the crippled Ricky; he gives a full commitment that has more than a little Prince in it, and it's a welcomely weird surprise.

Photo by Dan Norman

This production design is one of my favorites in a long time that I've seen anywhere. Chelsea Warren's set design has so many layers, from Karnak's magical box to the handsome carousel with hidden projections and clues to the contestant's pasts; it's hyper-detailed and gorgeous. Trevor Bowen's costume design is wildly imaginative and it's so fun watching the crew prance around through various fantasies. Marcus Dilliard's lighting design and Sean Healey's sound design is seamlessly detailed, down to the crank activating each round of the game and the twinkling lights on each ride. Kathy Maxwell makes the most creative use of projection I've seen in a while, melting into the set design as one cohesive whole. Paul Bigot's wig and makeup design creates distinct characters for each performer. And the props design by John Novak shows the same care and attention to detail that makes every element of the show stand out.

Photo by Dan Norman

There's really no way to adequately encapsulate Ride the Cyclone into a textual review; all I can do is encourage readers to go and enter a world that is truly unlike any I've seen before. The season blurb online didn't really engage me - I decided to go because I trust the Jungle and wanted to know what they'd do with something so abstract, and I was more than rewarded. Becca Hart is truly transformative in this role, and I'm calling it as her star-maker performance in a run that's had several standouts so early on. The rest of this young cast is eager and talented and vivacious too, and you can't help catching some of the sparkle they release through their performances. It won't take much of your time - 90 minutes without intermission - but it will definitely leave you feeling changed. I can't think of a better show to usher in the Halloween season. Make sure to get your tickets before they disappear on October 20; click here for more information or to buy some.

Cool Field Trip: Game Changers at the Science Museum of Minnesota

There's only one more weekend to experience THE coolest interactive exhibit I've seen in a while. 

100 games over 10,000 square feet? #yesplease

I'll be the first to admit that video games (and video gamers) have gotten a bad rap over the years.

You can really see the full evolution of characters

I was long an opponent of the medium. I never grew up playing video games, and it was hard for me to see the value in it.

Another popular booth: Guitar Hero

But over the years I've come to see just how rich this technology (and the worlds it builds) is. There are so many fascinating elements about video games that have started to get serious celebration from vaunted organizations (MPR's fabulous podcast Top Score about the orchestral music written for video games is one such example) and it's really bringing the world of gaming out of the small screen and into the mainstream.

The detail is extraordinary

Game Changers, an ongoing exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota, is the perfect vehicle for novices and hardcore game heads alike to educate themselves about this world. It's an encyclopedic exploration of the history of video games, from the very first Space Invadors and Pac-Mans to the decades-long complexities of world-building games like SimCity or World of Warcraft. Visitors can not only read about the history of these games, their technology and their creators - they can also actually play each of the games mentioned on the original equipment. And this is not to be downplayed: the arcade space is comprised of more than 100 games over 10,000 square feet, an enormous temple to the sport of true gaming.

The sketches are endless

I was really blown away by the intricacy and detail of this exhibit. There is such a lineage to the construction of games - much like novelists or painters or chefs can directly credit those who came before them as inspirations and foundations to build their art on and expand it to new heights. Many games also have original sketches and models on display so that you can see the process from ideation to inception, and it's a really powerful visual testifying to just how complex the process of creating a game is.

A group dance station was easily one of the most popular elements

The global nature of gaming is included as well, with different regions appearing in focus with distinctive art styles and plotlines. Japan is the clear standout among regions outside of the United States, but there are also creative games from Sweden, Korea and a host of other countries. It is one more example of the unifying power of sharing an interactive world with someone else, and much like Trekkies, gamers have a friend wherever they go.

Gorgeous color sketches

This is an exhibit appropriate for groups of all ages and is actually an amazing way to connect with kids whose modern knowledge of gaming you may not understand. I took my niece and nephew with me, both of whom are avid gamers, and they had the time of their lives. We don't always have a lot to talk about directly, and I learned so much about them from the way they engaged with and explained each of the games that I never would have gleaned in casual conversation. It was a really fun day and reminded me how quickly things change from generation to generation. It was almost impossible to tear the kids away from the exhibit when we needed to go and it was packed to the gills, so I can testify first hand that the price of admission is absolutely worth it. The kids even loved the current omnitheater film about Cuba, which is not a subject they're normally interested in. This trip was a grand slam in terms of keeping them interested and occupied!

Loved this creative monster

And about that - another benefit to Game Changers is that admission is included in general admission to the Science Museum; this is not a separate ticketed event like many of their special exhibits have been. It's all the more reason to take your family or your date on a field trip to check it out before it closes on May 5. Run, do not walk, to go - there are limited edition games here that you very well may never see in working order again in your life. It's a fabulous, affordable trip for families or dates and is guaranteed to teach even the most serious gamer something they didn't know before. Click here for more information or to buy your tickets!

Up a little closer

An indicative list of the games available includes: 

The Arcade Heroes section spotlights pioneering designers from the trailblazing and revolutionary arcade era, including Ed Logg (Asteroids, 1979), Tim Skelly (Reactor, 1982), Masanobu Endo (Xevious, 1982), Toru Iwatani (Pac-Man, 1980), Eugene Jarvis (Defender, 1980), Tomohiro Nishikado (Space Invaders, 1978), and Dave Theurer (Tempest, 1981).

Long lines to play the vintage games like Asteroids, pictured here

The Game Changers section features leading contemporary designers who have had a major impact on shaping the medium as we know it: Blizzard Entertainment (Diablo III 2012), Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Sega Rally Championship, 1995), Peter Molyneux OBE (Fable III, 2010), Yuji Naka and the Sonic Team (Sonic the Hedgehog, 1991), Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy (Rock Band 3, 2010), Tim Schafer (Broken Age, 2014), Warren Spector (Disney’s Epic Mickey, 2010), Yu Suzuki (Hang On, 1985), TT Games (LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, 2014), and Will Wright (SimCity, 1989).

Full story boards

The Indies section explores the groundbreaking and future-focused world of independent game designers. Artists such as Jonathan Blow (Braid, 2008), Capy (Critter Crunch, 2007), Eric Chahi (Heart of Darkness, 1998), Jakub Dvorský (Botanicula, 2012), Firemint (Flight Control, 2009), Halfbrick (Fruit Ninja Kinect, 2011), Introversion (Dawinia, 2005), Markus ‘Notch’ Persson (Minecraft, 2014), Rovio (Angry Birds, 2009), Erik Svedäng (Blueberry Garden, 2010), and The Behemoth (Castle Crashers, 2008) are profiled in this section.