The West Coast premiere

A darkly comic new musical will be rolling into Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre in 2018! With a tongue-in-cheek nod to Final Destination: 3, we journey to the afterlife with a group of high school students who find themselves trapped in Purgatory, following a horrific rollercoaster accident. Praised for its unique take on a difficult subject, this comedic yet tragic musical is the brainchild of Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond, first premiering in 2015 at Chicago's Shakespeare Theatre.

What is it about?

When the front axle of a rollercoaster breaks mid-ride, the lives of six teenagers from Saint Cassian High School Chamber Choir are cut short tragically and seemingly senselessly. Shepherded to an eerie and disjointed carnival-like purgatory, each teen is invited to share their life story, right up until it ended, by a mechanical fortune-teller. As each teen recounts their individual journeys that took them to the Cyclone coaster, they are faced with the promise of a wonderful prize - but only if they can come to terms with their untimely demise. What is this mysterious gift; a chance to go back to Earth, or a happy ever after in heaven?

Spanning a huge range of emotions, this new musical has been lauded by critics for its bold approach to talking about death, and its ability to turn the tone of the show on the head of a pin, between satirical, macabre, tragic, campy and hilarious! Wickedly smart and unexpectedly hilarious, this charming meditation on life and enjoying the ride is guaranteed to make you chuckle as it exposes hidden truths to the sound of a fresh and inventive score.