Skip to main content Skip to footer site map

Quirky Cult-Favorite Musical RIDE THE CYCLONE Now Playing Through March 5 At Arena Stage

This D.C. premiere of Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell's quirky, edgy musical has been delighting packed houses, with fans from more than 40 states descending on D.C..

Quirky Cult-Favorite Musical RIDE THE CYCLONE Now Playing Through March 5 At Arena Stage

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announced today a two-week extension of Ride the Cyclone, now playing through through March 5, 2023, to meet audience demand.

This D.C. premiere of Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell's quirky, edgy musical has been delighting packed houses, with fans from more than 40 states descending on D.C.-many cosplaying as their favorite character-to catch the cult favorite. Join the "enthralled cult" of Cyclone devotees-including the 10,000 who have already caught this production-and purchase your tickets today at arenastage.org/cyclone.

"Ride the Cyclone is exactly what both theaters and theatergoers need now," commented Arena Stage Executive Producer Edgar Dobie. "At its core, the show is a celebration of being alive that resonates with today's audiences, as we've seen from both enthusiastic fan response as well as box office receipts. As the non-profit theater industry continues to recover from the pandemic, we are buoyed by the success of this little show with a big message."

"It's been a joy to watch Ride the Cyclone rock our audiences, both young and older," said Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith. "We were thrilled to have the show's co-creator Jacob Richmond-along with dynamic director Sarah Rasmussen-in the rehearsal hall here at Arena fine-tuning and changing the original material with this remarkable company of artists both on stage and behind the scenes. Every once in a while a theater piece hits the zeitgeist of the moment and D.C. audiences are answering the Cyclone call with a roar!" Read more about Ride the Cyclone's fascinating 15-year history on Arena's blog, The B-Side, here.

The production has been celebrated both by passionate fans who follow the show closely on TikTok and pack the front rows decked out in their best costumes (the character Jane Doe has been a particularly popular source of cosplay inspiration!), as well as by those who are encountering Cyclone for the very first time.

"I'd never heard of this show-apparently the only one in the audience! But it was amazing. Incredibly inventive, terrific performances. A light at the end of the tunnel of tragedy. Couldn't ask for more! Thanks for introducing me to this show," raved an audience member named Cheryl.

With now 32 performances to go, and many affordable ways to snag a ticket, there is no better time to climb aboard The Cyclone rollercoaster for the ride of your life:

  • Theatergoers 30 and under can take advantage of Arena Stage's Pay Your Age program, where, just like the name says, your age determines the price;
  • Full-time students are invited to purchase tickets at 35% off;
  • U.S. military community members, active first responders, and educators save 20%; and
  • Starting 90 minutes before the performance, a limited number of half-price tickets will be available for sale in person at the Arena Sales Office, subject to availability.

Learn more about Arena's ticket savings programs at arenastage.org/savings-programs.

Buy Ride the Cyclone tickets here.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie, is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena Stage produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays and impacting the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement. Now in its eighth decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. arenastage.org



Review: RISING at Kennedy Center Photo
Acclaimed Tenor Lawrence Brownlee treated his audience, at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater, with an afternoon of engaging, sensitive vocal interpretations of some of the world’s most talented African American composers.  This invigorating program, entitled Rising, increased in vocal nuance, and beautifully intonated clarity as it ran the gamut of spiritual, romantic, jazzy, contemplative, and socially conscious original compositions by this illustrious and very talented roster of creative composers.

Interview: Theatre Life with Jason Ma Photo
Today's subject Jason Ma is currently living his theatre life telling us all about 'The Advantages of Floating in The Middle of The Sea' in Signature Theatre's current production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's underappreciated masterpiece Pacific Overtures. Jason plays the lead role of Reciter plus other characters as well. The production runs through April ninth in Signature's MAX space.

Photos: First Look at the Developmental Workshop and Presentation of RAIN AND ZOE SAVE THE Photo
On Sunday afternoon, Rain and Zoe Save the World had an industry presentation at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland.   Check out photos here!

Review: URINETOWN at Workhouse Arts Center Photo
What did our critic think of URINETOWN AT WORKHOUSE ARTS CENTER at Workhouse Arts Center? There is something I learned about Greg Kotis and Mark Hollman's 2001 hit satire URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL after seeing the production this weekend at Workhouse Arts Center. I've seen it several times over the years in various settings, but I finally realized that URINETOWN is a deceivingly difficult piece to produce.


More Hot Stories For You


Photos: First Look at the Developmental Workshop and Presentation of RAIN AND ZOE SAVE THE WORLDPhotos: First Look at the Developmental Workshop and Presentation of RAIN AND ZOE SAVE THE WORLD
March 29, 2023

On Sunday afternoon, Rain and Zoe Save the World had an industry presentation at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland.   Check out photos here!

Cast & Creative Team Set for PASSING STRANGE at Signature TheatreCast & Creative Team Set for PASSING STRANGE at Signature Theatre
March 28, 2023

Signature Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for the musical Passing Strange, with music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald and book & lyrics by Stew.

Embracing Arlington Arts Releases 2023 One-Stop Library Of Studies Of Health Benefits Of The ArtsEmbracing Arlington Arts Releases 2023 One-Stop Library Of Studies Of Health Benefits Of The Arts
March 23, 2023

The non-profit organization Embracing Arlington Arts is proud to release its third edition of a one-stop library database of 100 study links providing scientific evidence of the health benefits (both physically and mentally) of various arts genres for every community sector.

Round House Theatre Commissions Works by James Ijames, Inda Craig-Galván & MoreRound House Theatre Commissions Works by James Ijames, Inda Craig-Galván & More
March 22, 2023

Round House Theatre has commissioned works by James Ijames, Inda Craig-Galván, and joint-commissioned Margot Bordelon and Jiehae Park.

Signature Theatre's SIMPLY SONDHEIM Starring Norm Lewis, Solea Pfeiffer & More Re-ReleasedSignature Theatre's SIMPLY SONDHEIM Starring Norm Lewis, Solea Pfeiffer & More Re-Released
March 22, 2023

Signature Theatre is presenting a streaming re-release of its 2021 digital production of Simply Sondheim on March 22 in honor of the late composer’s birthday in continuation of its season-long tribute to Signature’s signature, Stephen Sondheim.