SPACEMEN FROM SPACE Plays The Brick 8/12-22

The Brick Theater, Inc. presents a Gemini CollisionWorks production of Spacemen from Space, An Exciting New Serial for the Stage in 6 Thrill Packed Episodes! written, designed and directed by Ian W. Hill

Holy smokes! Unusual weather patterns are devastating the entire world! Scientists are baffled! Little do they know that this is an alien attack, courtesy of Queen Oneida of the planet Ataraxia, who intends to soften up Earth before her planet sends its armies to conquer it. But little does Queen Oneida know that opposing forces who have figured out her plan are gathering at the one place on Earth immune to her cosmic-wave-beam gun, Rancho Bardo, home to radio hero Cowboy Adam (and His Lonely Valley Boys), a singing cowboy who fights crime and is a Real American. But little does Cowboy Adam know that arriving on his ranch is the scientist and hero Rocket Brannon, who fights crime by flying around on his jet pack, and who knows the secret to defeating the Ataraxians. But little do Our Heroes know that their old flame, tough-talking dame reporter Chickie West is determined to get a great story and has snuck onto the ranch, about to get in everyone's way. And little do they ALL know that the masked supervillain The Lavender Spectre is also on the ranch, with a brace of Evil Minions who are out to control the weather themselves, and eventually RULE THE WORLD!

Does this make sense to you? Good, it shouldn't, but never mind that now . . .

A loving pastiche of 1930s-40s b-movie serials intended to keep hyper children entertained during extended Saturday matinees, Spacemen from Space: An Exciting New Serial for the Stage in 6 Thrill-Packed Episodes! combines as many elements of the straight-faced, sincerely-played episodic genre works into one big mashup of fast-moving fun - a single play made up of 6 episodes played one right after another (with cliffhanger endings, of course), that fills The Brick's stage with a cast of 21 talented comic actors (featuring many Brick/Gemini CollisionWorks favorites, including noted performer/author Trav S.D.) running around telling this overly-complicated, barely sensical plot with absolute seriousness and belief. Spacemen from Space is a sweet, silly, simple confection designed to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, wondering what will happen next to our steadfast heroes, and if you need a break, you can step out during the four original songs performed by The Lonely Valley Boys, our band of actors, which include a couple of love ballads that younger audiences will find icky, but older ones might possibly find charming.

There is, however, a deeper, darker metaphoric level to the play - something, the playwright keeps saying, about anti-science and anti-intellectual thought in America today - but all that can and should be safely ignored (who wants to listen to that serious-minded playwright, anyway?), ‘cause jet-packs are just plain fun!

A hysterical comedy with almost no "jokes," Spacemen from Space is an affectionate collection of clichés, made by people who love them, celebrating a world where jet packs, singing cowboys, aliens in stupid hats, g-men, robots, unfunny comic reliefs, ray guns, cliffhangers, and incomprehensible plots are still a beautiful fact of life.

Director/designer Ian W. Hill has created 65 stage productions since 1997 with his company Gemini CollisionWorks (and his collaborative partner Berit Johnson), including works by Vaclav Havel, Richard Foreman, T.S. Eliot, Clive Barker, Mac Wellman, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Ronald Tavel, Jeff Goode, Mark Spitz, and Edward D. Wood, Jr., as well as several original plays. As a designer (light, sound, projections, sets) and technical/artistic consultant he has worked with many other stage artists and theatres for the past 20 years, and he is currently the technical director of The Brick. He will also be presenting another play in rep with Spacemen from Space in August at The Brick: Devils by John Whiting, the controversial play about religion, politics, sex, and demonic possession in 17th-Century France, which became an even more controversial 1971 film by Ken Russell.

The cast of this production is
Alex Amery, Ethan Angelica*, AaRon Baker, Eric C. Bailey*, David Berent*, Ali Skye Bennet, George Bronos, Josh Hartung, Stephen Heskett, Ian W. Hill, Justin RG Holcomb*, James Isaac, Douglas MacKrell, Roger Nasser, Cara Moretto, Amy Overman, Yvonne Roen*, Trav S.D., Adam Swiderski, William Webber, Stephanie Willing * Appears Courtesy of Actors Equity Association

at The Brick
575 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211
½ a block from the Lorimer stop of the L Train / Metropolitan-Grand stop of the G Train - www.bricktheater.com
August 12, 17, and 20 at 8.00 pm; August 15 and 22 at 7.00 pm; August 14 and 22 at 2.00 pm approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes long (including one intermission)

All tickets: $18.00
Tickets available at the door or through theatermania.com (212-352-3101 or toll-free: 1-866-811-4111)

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