CINCINNATI, OH- A popular ‘80s movie about ghosts and the people who bust them becomes a stage musical. Then the lawyers find out.
Falcon Theatre and Hugo West Theatricals proudly present DON’T CROSS THE STREAMS: THE CEASE AND DESIST MUSICAL, playing March 15 – 23, 2013 at the Monmouth Theatre (636 Monmouth Street) in Newport, KY. Recent smash hit of the Cincinnati and Indianapolis Fringe Festivals, and recipient of the League of Cincinnati Theatres “Outstanding Ensemble” award, DON’T CROSS THE STREAMS is now slimier than ever in a full-length evening of theatre. Tickets are $17 ($14 for students) and are available at www.falcontheatre.net or by calling (513) 479-6783.
DON’T CROSS THE STREAMS is presented as part of Falcon Theatre’s “Fourth Wall” series. It is intended for mature audiences only.
Critical Acclaim for DON’T CROSS THE STREAMS
- “’Don’t Cross The Streams” defines Fringe: clever, loopy, messy, ambitious, well-performed, smartly directed….” – Jackie Demaline, Cincinnati Enquirer
- “…a full-house audience clearly knew the film and shrieked with laughter as the tale spun wilder with each passing moment… [Tom Highley’s] performance is a comic tour de force.” – Rick Pender, Citybeat
- “… the stageworthy verve of the actors, their quicksilver shifts of attention and comic focus and complementary costuming and lighting that never looks cheesy.” – Jay Harvey, Indianapolis Star
- “Simply put, the entire show is hysterical… the cast comprises a phenomenal ensemble. Sean Mette’s performance as lovable doof Corky is uproarious.” – Myrydd Wells, Indianapolis Monthly
“Who ya gonna call? The… Spirit Fighters.”
In DON’T CROSS THE STREAMS, a popular early ‘80s film about ghosts and the people who bust them is receiving a stage musical adaptation by a New Jersey theatre company. When their world is shattered by a “cease and desist” letter from the lawyers of Columbia Pictures, the cast and crew give the show a new title, make delirious changes to an increasingly unrecognizable script and recruit a handsomely clueless soap opera actor to play the role of Peter Venkman. Silly string ion streams are unleashed and a giant Twinkie kicks a man in groin in a madcap theatrical farce a la “Waiting for Guffman.”
Bigger, Longer, Slimier for Newest Production
Debuting at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival in May 2012 as produced by The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center, DON’T CROSS THE STREAMS enjoyed a nearly sold-out run and popular and critical acclaim, including an “Outstanding Ensemble” nod from the League of Cincinnati Theatres. The show was subsequently invited to the August 2012 IndyFringe, becoming a festival highlight.
The Monmouth Theatre production will premiere an extended version of the musical, with several new scenes and musical moments. Jared Joplin* (Simon), Eamon Hill (Robert Duke) and Brad Myers (Leroy Fields, Guitarist) make their DCTS debuts among the rest of the original Cincinnati Fringe Festival cast.
A full list of performers and production team members is at the end of this release.
*Actor appears courtesy of the Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
Back off man, we’re playwrights
DON’T CROSS THE STREAMS is the first playwriting venture by co-writers Mike Hall and Joshua Steele. On an escalating dare, the two set out to write a faithful stage adaptation of a cinematic cultural touchstone. Shortly after undertaking the project, a conversation with a real-life intellectual property lawyer squarely dashed their hopes. Not to be denied, Steele and Hall fell back to the old creative adage: “write what you know,” and decided instead to tell the story of actors who set out to write the musical in question and are ordered by a Hollywood law firm to “cease and desist.” The result was the interpolation of silly string rifles, metal detectors, kabuki theatre, interpretive dance, a gospel choir and Stone Mountain into a raucous parody depicting the self-destruction of the American movie-based musical.
Tickets and Performances
Tickets to all performances of DON’T CROSS THE STREAMS are $17 for adults and $14 for students, and can be purchased online at http://www.falcontheatre.net, or by calling the box office voicemail (checked regularly) at (513) 479-6783.
Performance dates and times are as follows:
- Friday, March 15, 8:00pm
- Saturday, March 16, 8:00pm
- Sunday, March 17, 2:00pm
- Thursday, March 21, 8:00pm
- Friday, March 22, 8:00pm
- Saturday, March 23, 8:00pm
All performances take place at the Monmouth Theatre, 636 Monmouth Street, Newport, KY.
Photo from 2012 Cincinnati Fringe Festival production featuring Phillip Webster, Rodger Pille and Randy Lee Bailey.
DON’T CROSS THE STREAMS Cast and Production Team List
Cast
Cast Member Role
- Randy Lee Bailey Sam
- Lauren Carr Heidi
- Cameron Jamarr Davis Clarence
- Emma Greer Sharon
- Tom Highley Hugo West
- Jared Joplin* Simon
- Sean Mette Corky
- Brad Myers Leroy Fields
- Eamon Hill Robert Duke
- Rodger Pille Barry Matthews
- Chris Stewart Teddy
*Actor appears courtesy of the Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
Production Team
- Artist Capacity
- Mike Sherman Director
- Jay Goodlett Choreographer
- Tim Schmall Lighting Designer
- Jim Stump Costumer
- Hunter Spoede Sound Designer
- Ben Baczenas Asst. Sound Designer
- Chakse Haverkos Video Designer
- Erin McCoy Stage Manager
- Mike Hall Playwright
- Joshua Steele Playwright, Producer, Pianist
For More Information
Contact Joshua Steele at joshuatsteele@gmail.com, or (513) 293-6063.
Panelists for the League of Cincinnati Theatres (LCT) have distinguished the Falcon Theatre/Hugo West Theatrical’s DON’T CROSS THE STEAMS as a recommended production.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 