Ride the Cyclone Lets Divina De Campo Loose in Its Limbo of Dead Teenagers at Southwark Playhouse

Ride the Cyclone | Southwark Playhouse until 22 August 2026

Six teenagers killed in a freak roller-coaster accident, each given one song to earn a second chance at life. Ride the Cyclone returns to Southwark Playhouse with Divina De Campo added to the cast, dark, funny, and a cult favourite for good reason.

Six dead teenagers walk into a limbo. Only one gets out.

The cult roller-coaster musical adds Divina De Campo to its cast of the recently deceased. Six teenagers from a small-town Canadian chamber choir are killed in a freak roller-coaster accident. They wake up in limbo, where a mechanical fortune-telling machine called the Amazing Karnak invites each of them to make their case, to sing for their lives, really, for which one of them gets to go back. It’s a brilliantly, bizarre idea: Final Destination in reverse, in a sense, and it just goes to prove the adage that anything can be turned into a musical.

It’s been building a cult following since it premiered in Canada back in 2008, Chicago, off-Broadway, Sydney, Buenos Aires, and now a second sold-out run at Southwark, this time at the newer, air-conditioned Elephant space. Dark comedy, catchy genre-hopping songs, and a mystery contestant, a headless woman pushing a pram. It is a little like the juggernaut Six in its construction, and it becomes a song cycle rather than any form of story or through narrative.

Divina De Campo joins the cast as the Amazing Karnak, the mechanical fortune-teller who narrates the whole show, a role usually played fairly deadpan, hidden away inside the booth. She’s very good. Karnak is a non-singing role so it’s a different kind of showcase than you might expect from a performer with her voice, she finally gets to sing at the end, which is a bit of a shame. Even so, she adds a great camp presence to the whole thing.

One practical note: the show’s own listings mention a hydration break built into the running time. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a brief pause for the cast to grab some water. It’s a physically demanding 1 hour 45 minutes, up on their feet and singing the whole way through, so it’s there for the performers and has been introduced in view of the current heat wave, and has also been introduced into Avenue Q. It’s announced out of the blue by De Campo, and I fully appreciate and understand the need for this, but why they didn’t just include an interval, I have no idea, as some members of the audience headed to the toilets for their own dehydration break anyway.

Alongside De Campo are the original cast from the previous run at Southwark comprising Josh Butler as Noel, Grace Galloway as Jane Doe, Robyn Gilbertson as Constance, Bartek Kraszewski as Mischa. Jack Maverick normally plays Ricky, but I spotted him in the audience watching the show, and his role was taken by Nathaniel Purnell, who is both swing and dance captain. They all bring energy and enthusiasm and shine in their individual numbers.

It has gained an incredible cult following, particularly with young audience members, and clearly it resonates with them, but I would have enjoyed a little more edge, wit, and darkness. At ninety minutes, with six songs, and one twist you might see coming, it is dark, funny, and a little macabre, however this is a ride worth taking.

If you like your musicals with a little more camp than closure, EyeOnLondon says go for De Campo’s deadpan turn and the ensemble’s sheer commitment, not for a tidy ending, because this show was never going to give you one.

For more London arts and culture, visit EyeOnLondon at eye-on-london.com

[Image Credit | Charlie Flint]

Follow us on:

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest videos and updates!

We value your thoughts! Share your feedback and help us make EyeOnLondon even better!