The University of Wisconsin-Superior Theatre Department will present the contemporary musical “Ride the Cyclone.” Performances, directed by UW-Superior assistant professor of theatre Sean Naughton with musical director Tanya Moore and choreographer Alyson Enderle will take place at 7:30 p.m. on April 12, 13, 17 and 20, and at 2 p.m. April 14 and 21 in Manion Theater.

“Ride the Cyclone,” a joint production between the Communicating Arts and Music Departments at UW-Superior, is an up-tempo, off-beat, contemporary rock/pop musical. In this hilarious and outlandish story, the lives of six teenagers from a Canadian chamber choir are cut short in a freak accident aboard a roller coaster. When they awake in limbo, a mechanical fortune teller invites each to tell a story to win a prize like no other – the chance to return to life. This popular musical is a funny, moving look at what makes a life well-lived.

“This is such a unique and exciting story to tell as a musical,” said Naughton. “It’s a story that is a little sci-fi and a little silly but is really balanced out by the way it’s asking big questions about life and death, and grieving a life cut short before the big dreams you have for yourself can be fulfilled. It has a lot to say about the ‘game-ification’ of the world around us – the competitive drive we often feel to live a life of meaning and experience that others will see and perhaps envy. The musical makes a case, I think, for seeing life less as a game and more as a ride to be experienced. That, I think, is exactly how we might best serve our students here at UWS and the way they are looking at their pursuit of education and knowledge. You’re on a journey and the destination is not a prize to be won but a ride to be experienced fully and authentically.”

For the cast and crew, this production is the opportunity to take on a youthful and electrifying story.

“‘Ride the Cyclone’ has been such a popular musical among young people over the past few years,” said Naughton. “The music is upbeat and contemporary; the story is wild and it is a genuinely hilarious script. I think that audiences will also appreciate the diversity of musical styles represented in the play – everything from high flying operatic melodies to contemporary pop, from gorgeous ballads to eastern European auto-tune raps. This show is so textured and wild I think it will be unlike anything they’ve ever seen on the UWS stage.”

Tickets for “Ride the Cyclone” are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and students and $5 for students with a valid UW-Superior ID. Tickets may be purchased at the box office in the Holden Fine Arts Center and online. Reservations can be made at (715) 394-8369. Manion Theater is in the Holden Fine Arts Center at 1805 Catlin Ave. in Superior.