Barnstormers Theater director Andrew John Mitchell thinks a lot of folks in Delaware County are going to like the theater’s upcoming production of Ride the Cyclone, a cult-favorite musical that’s especially popular with Gen Z.
“So we did Cyclone at my theater last year. And I love the show and immediately thought of the Barn as a great venue for this show,” said Mitchell, who is also artistic director at the Milburn Stone Theatre in Maryland.
He believes it’s the first time a Delaware County theater has performed the musical, and he appreciates the chance to bring it to a whole new audience.
“Hopefully it’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, and it will absolutely make you feel something all in a few hours,” he said.
Ride the Cyclone is a darkly funny, heartfelt musical that revolves around six Canadian teenagers in a high school chamber choir who go to a carnival in Uranium City, Saskatchewan, to have their fortunes told.
While there, they ride the Cyclone roller coaster. A tragic accident puts them in the afterlife, where they are given one last chance to tell their stories and compete for a second shot at life.
The production launches at the Barnstormers in Ridley Park on Oct. 24, and runs Oct. 25, 31, and Nov. 1 on Fridays at 7:30 PM and Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 PM.
Mitchell has been a participant in Barnstormer shows since 2008, when they first staged Rocky Horror Picture Show. He has worked with them off and on since then in over a dozen productions.
He and his wife, a Prospect Park native whom he met through Barnstormers, brought up the idea of doing Ride the Cyclone at the Ridley Park theater.
“It’s got a huge cult following among the youth. It’s incredibly popular on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.”
It grew popular during the pandemic but achieved cult status among Gen Z in 2022 when a viral TikTok clip of “The Ballad of Jane Doe” from the musical sparked a new wave of enthusiasm with memes, karaoke videos, cosplays, and fan theories.
It’s a story with dark humor and campiness, but also a lot of heart that asks the question, ‘What does it mean to live a life well-lived, even if your life is short?’ Mitchell said.
The Barnstormer Theater is in a beautiful 100-year-old building at 402 Tome Street. It is the oldest continuously operating community theater in Pennsylvania and the oldest in the United States.
Find out more about The Barnstormers Theater and purchase tickets for Ride the Cycline.
