Ride the Cyclone
Jungle Theater Director Sarah Rasmussen Scenic Design Chelsea M. Warren Costume Design Trevor Bowen Lighting Design Marcus Dilliard Sound Design Sean Healey Projection Design Kathy Maxwell Properties Manager John Novak Movement Jim Lichtscheidl Production Photography Dan Norman
*Winner of Favorite Scenic Design from Twin Cities Theater Bloggers Awards 2019
CRITICAL RESPONSE BELOW
Twin Cities Stages: “The scenic design by Chelsea M Warren is a feast for the eyes. It is theater meets a fun house. Portraying the joy of an amusement park but laced with some darkness and gloom, while at the same time also giving the feel of a vaudeville stage. Ride the Cyclone is a feast for all senses, and is a great show for anyone who is a fan or Tim Burton.”
Compendium: “This production design is one of my favorites in a long time that I've seen anywhere. Chelsea Warren's set design has so many layers, from Karnak's magical box to the handsome carousel with hidden projections and clues to the contestant's pasts; it's hyper-detailed and gorgeous.“
Lavender Magazine, John Townsend: “The setting is a kind of limbo zone cryptically designed with a run down carnivalesque funhouse look by Chelsea M. Warren. At stage left, a gnostically mechanical Jim Lichtscheidl sits in a box as Karnak, a fortune teller. His function is to oversee a contest between the choristers plus an additional spirit sprung from a new corpse, one Jane Doe. The prize: you get to go back to life as we know it.”
BWW Review, Karen Bovard: “Rasmussen weaves together the skillful work of a strong design team for RIDE THE CYCLONE. Chelsea Warren is responsible for the seedy scenic visuals, into which she tucks a bunch of opportunities for the projection designs of Kathy Maxwell. Regular fogging from above enables Marcus Dilliard to provide shafts of dusty light, which never interfere with the projections. Costume designer Trevor Bowen has invented lots of quick add-ons that kick up the humor of the parochial school uniform base costumes. And the wig and makeup design by Paul Bigot are essential to Hart's performance as Jane.”
Pioneer Press, Dominic P. Papatola, “Chelsea M. Warren’s set is a deceptively tricky assemblage of carnival detritus, enhanced by Kathy Maxwell’s evocative projections. I’m not sure who exactly is responsible for a bit of stage sleight of hand that finds Hart bouncing around like a demented marionette singing in operatic soprano upside down, but both the performer and her pit crew get credit for a moment that combines whimsy with a faint whiff of terror.”
Twin Cities Art Reader, Bev Wolfe: “The show’s visual aesthetic strongly evokes The Twilight Zone, thanks to lighting designs by Marcus Dilliard and projections by Kathy Maxwell. This plays well against scenic designer Chelsea M. Warren’s and sound designer Sean Healey’s creation of the ongoing carnival background.”
Cherry and Spoon: “But it's not just the cast that's perfection, so is the design, every element coming together to make this wonderfully weird world. Chelsea M. Warren's set is a shabby chic faded carnival (with a well utilized spinning floor). Marcus Dilliard's dynamic lighting design creates some cool effects.”
Talkin Broadway, Arthur Dorman: “A terrific design team melds Chelsea M. Warren's sets that look ripped from the pages of a coloring book, Marcus Dilliard's lighting suitable for both a carnival and the hereafter, and Sean Healey's sound design with bells, whistles, and the sounds of cosmic transcendence. Paul Bigot's wig and makeup design is especially winning in creating a kewpie doll head of hair for Jane Doe.”
Aisle Say, Lydia Mwambi: “In true amusement park style, helped along by the wonderfully imaginative circus themed set design (Chelsea M. Warren) and projection magic (Kathy Maxwell), we are treated to six wonderful performances that spare no expense to entertain.”