Ride the Cyclone - Cast Recording + Transfer?

Do you think there will be a cast recording of this great show?

Do you think it will transfer for a commercial run?

It's not transferring this season. Expect a cast recording, though.

That snippet of The Ballad of Jane Doe is not sung by the actress who is playing the role now in New York. The song fits the current actress's voice much better.

Yea it's sung by the original Toronto cast from 2011

LimelightMike said: "It's not transferring this season. Expect a cast recording, though.



"

Source?

I've heard that talks of a transfer cooled in the wake of the mostly mixed reviews, despite Isherwood's rave. The production extended a few weeks downtown but there's concern that it wouldn't find a sustaining audience on the main stem. I'd say a transfer this season isn't very likely.

Yes, I agree. I think that was the point in casting Taylor Louderman, but that didn't work out.

I think the show feels more like a revue, which is how it started out. Plus, many BWW posters seemed to have a lot of trouble with the show's failure to maintain an internal logic, which truthfully didn't bother me that much.

I think it's perfect Off Broadway, but of course the economics don't work in the long term.

I would like a cast album, but I don't think the economics would work out there either.

I must've missed something, I just didn't get this! In all sincerity, rumors of Louderman's work ethic aside, I think she dodged a bullet, also, her replacement is giving a quite broad performance with a lot of mugging which seemed outside of the world of the piece- although I can't define what the world was it just lacked anything organic for me. Alex Wyse is a damn star, get the guy a show that shows him off totally wasted here. The actor playing Mischa was a real stand out for me, committed fully and not a caricature. The actress playing Jane Doe was outstanding, she should stay in town for awhile! The others while giving polished performances were forgettable for me. On the whole, the through line of the piece is muddy, and the answer to, "why should I care about any of these people" is never fleshed out- and I didn't care. Defintely belongs far Off Broadway, which is even, imho, an insult to the truly great work that happens there. The set was again, phenomenal, especially for the space. Without extensive re-writes I don't see this being a commercially viable piece, and that is ok- also, why do you want a recording? The music is so forgettable- even the stand out Jane Doe number is a lot of ooo's and ahh's and the spectacle saves it, not the score! Let's not even talk about how undermining Constance's song is to the emotionally raw story she tells and then launches into a song that goes no where and does nothing to solidify her character's change- musical theatre 101, we sing because we can't express ourselves any other way, make the monologue the song! I say all of this as a huge fan of American Psycho that still believes it's a travesty it wasn't preserved with a US cast recording- so I'm not afraid to go out of the box with material. I just don't get it.

Updated On: 12/28/16 at 11:02 PM

A lab won't fix the problems that are baked into it at this point. The show's flaws are bone-deep, not a matter of cutting or swapping out songs.

"The only way to "fix" it, at this point, is fire the team and start over."

And what would be the point of that? It would still be just one more evening of cabaret songs masquerading as a book musical. Is there much demand for another?

I agree, it very much seems like a series of cabaret songs strung together with a thin plot, that again, doesn't do anything to make me care about the plight of any of the characters. I would say in regards to the team, possibly a new director could bring a better approach to the piece as it appears with the re-casting of Louderman she seems to have a one track mind with the way these characters should be portrayed which is always detrimental to an actor's creative process and developing their own take on the material if the reasoning really was "creative differences". My evidence is the fact that this is the same cast from out of town save Wyse, who again, is wasted. Nothing I saw from anyone on that stage was completely innovative or transforming that any other performer couldn't have done. It seems to be getting in it's own way at this point. Fresh eyes, or scrap it and learn from this showing is my recommendation as well. The concept is a difficult sell so as it is, to muddy it with a plot that goes nowhere on top of it leads to it not being a commercially viable vehicle in my opinion. I like new works, I like Off-Broadway experimentation and fresh approaches to material, but they have delusions of grandeur if they are thinking it's fine as is and just needs money to be thrown at it to get it to the next step. The score on a whole is just not strong to even compel it as worthy cabaret material, because they are character specific in such a generic way that they don't work outside of the piece as a whole- I know that makes little sense and may sound contradictory, but that's the entire moral of the story here!

The whole show just seems so calculated- even its "quirkiness" and "darkness" seem like they came from committee. I know this is the composer's first/only show, but it genuinely seems like the show was retroactively fit around a bunch of pastiche numbers.


Sticking it in a Broadway house would just magnify the flaws. It'll do well in the high school thespian troupe circuit, though.

Updated On: 12/29/16 at 02:20 PM

Kad, I agree with you all the way! It does seemed calculated, which is perhaps why we never care for the characters- they've been done and better previously! Thanks for cracking the case- I mean that in all sincerity, I couldn't put into words why it wasn't working and calculated seems like a good summation. I do disagree with you on the high school mention though, it's too small a show, and the point of arts education is to educate and unless this is presented as a "what not to do" I don't see it being very informative for young performers- that may sound harsh, but if it is this author's first venture, hopefully they can take the criticism and grow- I mean first show Off-Broadway in NYC is not by any means a failure. On last aside, wtf is the purpose of Canada? It could be re-set and make no difference- especially with Ocean's character- America is a democracy too lol, that was just another unnecessary head scratcher. It's also unnecessarily funny in the current political realm.