“Ride the Cyclone” is a viral hit on TikTok, but does it have any appeal beyond Gen Z?

As my mother often says, getting old sucks. There are aches and pains, losses to grieve, plans to make, and regrets to chew on. Still, it’s better than dying young in a roller coaster accident, and much better than ending up in purgatory as a teenager, a demographic that can’t help but experience that transitory state between heaven and hell as one last, or perhaps penultimate, winner-take-all popularity contest.

As reality television has taught us, truly fun contests need a clever, charismatic moderator to set the rules and arbitrate disputes among the contestants. Who better for this particular job than The Amazing Karnak? It’s so obvious, it’s a kind of a mini-miracle no one figured this out before Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell wrote the book, music, and lyrics for their 2008 musical “Ride The Cyclone” (although it could be argued the television impresario Mark Burnette came pretty close in 2004).

The result, as Meg Masserson notes in a recent Playbill article, is a play that’s become a cult favorite among Gen Zers, thanks to social media platforms, especially TikTok. That might be all one really needs to know in deciding if RIde the Cyclone is worth your time and money. My 15-year-old daughter and her friends would have loved it. I know some twentysomethings who might also enjoy it. As for the rest of us, we can admire the wit of the book, appreciate the conceit that one’s fate ultimately rests on the whims of an arcade game, and marvel at the talented, young cast doing a bang-up job and the smart design of the Scott Davis’ set. It really is a great show for its audience.

It took me all of maybe three minutes to realize I’m not the audience for this show. That’s not to say I disliked it, but I’m at an age where I’m no longer susceptible to a carny’s invitation to “ride the cyclone.”  If you still are, whatever your age, I imagine you’ll have a great time with this one: it’s much more interesting than “Spring Awakening,” (a show I truly disliked) but not nearly as surprising and engaging as “Carrie: the Musical.”

The Cast:

Nick Martinez as Noel Gruber

Eli Mayer as Mischa

Matthew Boyd Snyder as Ricky 

Gabrielle Dominique as Constance 

Shinah Hey as Ocean

Ashley D. Nguyen as Jane Doe

Marc Geller - The Amazing Karnak

At Arena Stage through March 5. Approximately 90 minutes without an intermission. All audience members must be fully-masked during the entire performance.