Hickory – The weird and wacky musical comedy, RIDE THE CYCLONE will be making its debut at the Hickory Community Theatre on Friday, January 19. Performances will continue through February 10 in the Jeffers Theatre. Better described as “Glee meets Final Destination 3”, this modern musical romp tells the story of five members of the Uranium City high school choir, and a mysterious stranger, who find themselves in limbo after being killed in a roller coaster accident. Yes, it is (mostly) a comedy but one with a lot of heart and a surprisingly compassionate message. A trio of familiar, and talented, local actors play the male members of the choir.
Ethan Fite plays Noel, the only gay kid in Uranium. Since making his HCT debut as Lady Macduff in MACBETH, Fite has gone on to play and Angel in KINKY BOOTS and Franz Klinneman in ROCK OF AGES. The latter earned him the 2023 Kay Award for Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical. Fite was most recently seen in A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, where he played all nine members of the ill-fated D’Ysquith family. By day, he is the Production Assistant to the Artistic Director at HCT. “Noel is a dream role,” he says, “I love everything about this show.”
Jared Wachsmuth plays Ukrainian adoptee Misha Bachinski and says one of his favorite things about the show is that, “I’ll get to use auto tune and Cyclone just sounded fun.” Wachsmuth is also a Kay Award recipient, two times over. He received the 2019 Outstanding Newcomer award for playing Tidence Ledbetter in BEAUTIFUL STAR, and the 2022 Outstanding Featured Male for the Minstrel in SOMETHING ROTTEN. In addition to those HCT shows, he also originated the role of Rex in ZAZZIE SINGS. Other roles include Ted in DISASTER at Lincoln Theatre Guild and Cornelius Hackle in HELLO DOLLY at the Green Room Community Theatre.
Justin Wilson, who plays Ricky Potts – a disabled student who gains the power of speech after he dies – is playing his unprecedented third role this season at HCT. He opened the 75th season playing Monty D’Ysquith in GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER and just wrapped up playing Dmitri in ANASTASIA. Like his cast mates, Wilson is a Kay Award recipient. He was named the 2022 Outstanding Character Male as Ensemble in SOMETHING ROTTEN and was part of the 2023 award-winning ensemble of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG. “Ricky is a rock star,” he says, “and HCT feels like home to me.”
Performances of RIDE THE CYCLONE are Fridays and Saturdays, January 19 through February 10 at 7:30pm; Sundays, January 28 and February 4 at 2:30pm; and Thursday, February 9 at 7:30pm.
Tickets are $16 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets may be purchased online at hickorytheatre.org/box-office of by phone at 828-328-2283.
RIDE THE CYCLONE is rated R for adult language, themes and situations.
The Hickory Community Theatre’s 75th anniversary season is sponsored by A Cleaner World, Green Park Dentistry, Paramount Automotive and Sunbelt Xpress. RIDE THE CYCLONE is produced by Sandra and George Clay, III. The Hickory Community Theatre is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County.
PHOTO: (L-R) Ethan Fite, Justin Wilson and Jared Wachsmuth are the male members of the Uranium City Choir in RIDE THE CYCLONE, coming to the Hickory Community Theatre January 19th. The Off-Broadway musical will run January 19 through February 10, 2024 in the Jeffers Theatre. Photo by Eric Seale.
