Casting Announced For RIDE THE CYCLONE - A Darkly Hilarious Carnival Tale of Life and Death

Complete casting has been announced for the West Coast premiere of the dark and hilarious new musical Ride the Cyclone, the 2017/18 co-production between The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT - A Contemporary Theatre. Five of the production's seven cast members have performed in previous versions of Ride the Cyclone, which had its U.S. premiere in 2015 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and a successful run Off-Broadway produced by MCC Theater in 2016. Returning to their original roles are Lillian Castillo as Constance, Emily Rohm as Jane Doe, Tiffany Tatreau as Ocean, Kholby Wardell as Noel and Karl Sean Hamilton as Karnak. Joining them is Adam Standley (5th Avenue Theatre: How to Succeed...; ACT: The Legend of Georgia McBride, Stupid F@#*ing Bird) as Misha and Connor Russell (5th Avenue Theatre: Disney's The Little Mermaid, A Chorus Line, Disney's Aladdin) as Ricky. The award-winning director and choreographer Rachel Rockwell will also continue to refine and explore the world of Ride the Cyclone, returning to direct after opening its previous two productions. This co-production will showcase new developments to the script and score.

Playing March 10 - May 20, 2018 (press opening Thursday, March 22, 2018) at ACT - A Contemporary Theatre (700 Union Street), tickets for Ride the Cyclone start at $49 and are on sale now. They can be purchased at www.acttheatre.org, by phone at 206-292-7676 or at the ACT Box Office.

At 8:17 PM, the Saint Cassian High School Chamber Choir will board the Cyclone roller coaster. At 8:19, the front axle will break, sending them to their tragic demise. Trapped in fantastical carnival-like purgatory, the recently deceased teens discover a mechanical fortune teller, who invites them to tell their stories of life interrupted, with the promise of a prize like no other. Welcome to Ride the Cyclone, a wildly original new musical. Part comedy, part tragedy and completely unexpected, this wonderfully weird story is at every turn satirical, macabre, creepy, campy and hilarious.

Varying Thursdays - 2:00 PM (please visit www.acttheatre.org for specific dates)

Fridays - 8:00 PM

Saturdays - 2:00 PM & 8:00 PM

Sundays - 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM

Please visit www.acttheatre.org or call the Box Office at (206) 292-7676 for tickets (starting at $49).

Special thanks to contributing sponsor National Endowment for the Arts. Additional thanks to The 5th Avenue Theatre's 2017/18 season sponsors ArtsFund, U.S. Bank and Alaska Airlines.

Photo: Lillian Castillo as Constance in Ride the Cyclone - Photo Credit Liz Lauren