Get swept up in ‘Ride the Cyclone’ at the Whiting Theater

Student actors perform a rendition of “Ride the Cyclone” at the Whiting Theater in the University of Minnesota’s Rarig Center. | Photo courtesy of Dan Norman. Get swept up in ‘Ride the Cyclone’ at the Whiting Theater The surrealist musical performed by students brings laughter, tears, and an appreciation of the little things in life at the University’s Rarig Center. Categories: Art Arts & Entertainment Marquee by Katelyn Keyes Published November 10, 2026 On Sept. 14, 2026, rehearsals officially began for “Ride the Cyclone,” a musical about those six kids in the afterlife competing to see who will return to life on Earth. The two months of work have culminated in an impressive performance, now showing at the Whiting Theater in the University of Minnesota’s Rarig Center through Nov. 15. “What you will see today is a celebration of young people as they are, not who they could become,” director Alli St. John wrote in the playbill . Through their time in the afterlife, each of the six characters explores their identity like they never had while they were alive. The audience joins this journey, and as a musical performed by and for college students, the messages and struggles portrayed feel all the more timely. The act is put on by the University’s own BA Performance Program and School of Music, with participants showcasing the detailed set and costumes the practicum students helped to create. Yuri Rivers plays Karnak, the fortune-telling carnival machine which guides the story and the competition between the characters: overachiever Ocean, nice girl Constance, bad boy Mischa, quiet Ricky, dreamer Noel and the eerie, unidentified Jane Doe. Talking about rehearsals, Rivers said the music for the show was learned in more or less a week, which is no small feat when considering one of the strongest aspects of the show is the musical numbers. What makes the songs for “Ride the Cyclone” different from other musicals is the layers of harmony within each number, playing into the characters’ chamber choir hobbies. These harmonies give the songs a complex a cappella sound even though there is orchestra accompaniment. This results in hauntingly beautiful chords which ring throughout the theater. Each actor’s voice blends and contrasts with the others to create an atmosphere that keeps the audience glued to every move and note change. Throughout the show, “Ride the Cyclone” did exceptionally well at staying engaging. There are 20 songs making up much of the musical’s 90-minute runtime, with the interspersion of singing alongside snappy dialogue keeping the show from losing novelty. Each of the six leading students gets their own song, and each one is drastically different from the last. Ocean, played by Kailey Archbold, shows off her endurance for singing and dancing in “What the World Needs,” a fast-paced song which sticks in the audience’s head long after the performance comes to a close. Archbold’s perky portrayal of Ocean lent itself to comedy as well, as the show as a whole strikes the balance between comedy, horror, profundity and absurdity. For the horror aspect, the main catalyst is the character of Jane Doe, played by Aliyah Lamb, whose operatic high notes, ghost-like voice and shaking figure hit many of the classic fears. Opposite of Lamb, Constance, played by Emma Cockrill, is quiet and nice, before eventually rocking out with her own song “Sugar Cloud.” Cockrill said the show is really all about finding humanity in each other and the characters and not taking yourself too seriously. Alvaro Araque Jr., who played Noel, had a similar takeaway. For him, the show is about the beauty of the little things in life, and how we should all take time to appreciate them before we are gone. Araque said he did not understand the show the first time he saw it, but after talking through the script in rehearsal and diving into the character work, he now finds it hard not to shed a tear by the end. The performance adds emotion well to its beats of horror, comedy and fantasy. Much like the chaos of growing up and discovering who you are, each character’s journey is collaged into a musical of both surrealism and real-world problems. “It’s really open-ended, and I like that,” Araque said. “Ride the Cyclone” will be at the Rarig Center for five more performances until Nov. 15, so there is still time to hop on, take the ride and figure out your interpretation of this gripping whirlwind of a musical. View Story Comments 0 Like This Story Share on Facebook Share on X Email this Story Print this Story Leave a Comment More to Discover More in Art UMN art-science installation redefines success through algae and lichen Exploring history and mortality in Andersen Library's ‘Unburied: Death and Mourning in the Archives’ What You Missed at the Syncline House Show ‘Pinocchio’ reimagined with five actors at Children's Theatre Company St. Paul campus explores the liveliness of color and identity in new 'Chromaspace' exhibition Minnesota State Fair crop art returns to Mia in ‘Cream of the Crop: The Second Harvest’ More in Arts & Entertainment ‘More music’: The Minnesota Opera Orchestra puts on a benefit concert amid uncertain times Meet Mouthful, Minneapolis’ rising indie rock band Sombr brings “You Are The Reason” tour to Minneapolis LEGO fan convention Brick Cities unites generations at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Video: Halloween movie trivia on Dinkytown streets Gopher pride seizes University Avenue for homecoming More in Marquee Jaylen Crocker-Johnson earns spot on Karl Malone Award watch list Somali community faces stress once again following midterm rhetoric Meet the three Minneapolis School Board-elects seeking to make change UMN's world’s largest Sherlock Holmes collection has “something for everyone” No. 18 Gophers men's hockey ties, then falls to No. 1 Wisconsin No. 8 UCLA offense overwhelms the Gophers in 34-20 loss