Well, the fact that it's set in a place with its own local culture and traditions might be drawn from real - life. Also, the way the characters deal with loss. In real life, people often struggle to come to terms with loss, and the characters in the musical show similar emotions and coping mechanisms. Additionally, the relationships between the characters, such as friendship and rivalry, are things that exist in real - life communities and could be based on real - life observations.
There could be several real - life elements. The concept of a disaster, like the cyclone in the title, may be inspired by real - life natural disasters that have affected communities. The way the characters in the musical have different dreams and aspirations is also reflective of real - life. People in real - life small towns often have big dreams that they may or may not be able to achieve. And the social hierarchies that seem to exist among the characters might be modeled after real - life social structures within a community.
One real - life element could be the sense of community. Just like in real small towns, the characters in 'Ride the Cyclone' have a strong connection to their community. Another might be the idea of facing unexpected tragedies, which unfortunately happen in real life as well.