“CRUDE,” AWARD WINNING CONTROVERSIAL PLAY INSPIRED BY MÖTLEY CRÜE RETURNS FOR THREE ENCORE PERFORMANCES THIS WEEKEND

Crude: A Completely Unauthorized Play

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact:
David Lucarelli
[email protected]
213-840-3333
“Crude,” Award Winning Controversial play inspired by Mötley Crüe Returns for Three Encore Performances This Weekend

Los Angeles, CA, August 15, 2022-Crude, the award winning darkly comedic drama about a band that rose up from the streets of Hollywood in the 80s to become a cultural phenomenon will have three final encore performances in Hollywood this Friday through Sunday August 19th-21st at 8:00PM nightly at The Flight Theater at The Complex Hollywood. (This play is not endorsed or authorized by Mötley Crüe or any of its members.)

WHERE: The Flight Theater @The Complex Hollywood 6476 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038
WHEN:
Friday August 19th, 8:00 PM
Saturday August 20th, 8:00 PM
Sunday August 21st, 8:00 PM
TICKETS: $15.00 https://hff22.co/6755
70 Minutes

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY David Lucarelli, award-winning writer/producer of Doctor Zomba’s Ghost Show, writer of Tinseltown (Alterna Comics) and The Children’s Vampire Hunting Brigade graphic novels.
THE CAST:
Ryan Ruffing, Phillip-Charlie Daniell, Jeff Skomsky, Roman Guastaferro, Ed Gage, Madison Hansen, Tristan Rewald, and Tamara Torres

Crüe fans may remember the play originally called “The Crüe,” garnered negative attention from Nikki Sixx and the band when Nikki posted on social media that the band was not involved and did not approve of it.

“Honestly, we’re such a small production, we never expected to even end up on the band’s radar. And we’re such fans of the band, we were mortified it happened in a negative way. Their lawyer sent us a cease and desist letter and we immediately complied with all of their demands, changing the name of the show and the marketing campaign immediately. In addition we reassured them that the play doesn’t feature any of their music, lyrics, or any copyrighted or trademarked material. Although we had always prominently posted that the play was not authorized by Mötley Crüe, we took all possible additional steps to avoid any confusion.”

How did the negative publicity effect the production?

“We consulted informally with a couple of music industry lawyers, and went through the play with a fine toothed comb making sure we weren’t legally liable in any way, and ironically it ended up making the play even stronger. A few people asked for refunds, which we immediately gave. Overall, I don’t think it hurt us or helped us. The five show run at The Hollywood Fringe sold out in advance, but so did our previous Fringe production.” “Nikki Sixx has every right to be protective of the band he poured his blood, sweat and tears into for the past forty years, but this show is really a celebration of the band, and some of the overlooked aspects of who they are that aren’t covered in The Dirt. If Mötley Crüe is just remembered as this band that did a lot of drugs and had a lot of sex and got in trouble with the law, that would be a shame. Their story, their talent and their personalities are so much more interesting beyond that, and there’s a lot they don’t get credit for. For instance, Nikki wrote the song Fight For Your Rights that called for racial harmony during a time that was particularly fraught with racial tension.”

“To be a Mötley Crüe fan in the 80’s you were considered an outcast, and looked down upon. But Nikki gave an interview where he said, ‘you know what, the fans of this band are smart. They’re the future leaders of the world.’ And that stuck with me ever since. I’ve always felt Mötley Crüe is a truly great band, not because of the drugs, but despite them. I think if Nikki actually saw the play, he’d probably really like it.”

As for criticisms that they are making money off Motely Crue’s name?

“There’s no money in small experimental theater. At the end of the day, you can sell out all of your shows and by the time you pay for theater rental, costumes, sets, publicity, rehearsals, etc. you’re losing money. Nobody does small experimental theater to make money. They do it for the love of the art.”

What has been the critics’ reaction to Crude?

Cheryl Lightfoot of Pop Culture Junkie called the show “A love letter to the legendary 80s band that lets us experience the heady, hedonistic joy of being the biggest stars on the planet!”

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros of the NoHo Arts District called Crude “Hilarious,” “Brash, loud, sexual energy floods the stage,” “The cast is brilliant,” and said the show is “An important piece of American cultural history.”

And the fans?

“The Mötley fans that saw it, loved it. They felt the love we have for the band in every word of every performance. The people who went in not really knowing the band have come up to us afterward and said, ‘I thought they were just a hair metal band. I had no idea there was so much more to them than that. Now I want to go out and listen to their music and find out more about them.’ So, hopefully, we’ve both satisfied their fans who were open minded enough to come see the play, and helped Mötley make a few new ones along the way!”-David Lucarelli

For press comps, photos, and additional information, please contact:
David Lucarelli – [email protected] 213-840-3333