[NEohioPAL]ENCORE! Friday -Jan.21st 8pm "Michael Stanley Superstar"

Mon Jan 3 00:25:11 PST 2005

--0-1098812351-1104740711=:1341
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

LAST CALL CLEVELAND presents

“MICHAEL STANLEY SUPERSTAR: 

THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF THE CUYAHOGA MESSIAH” 

Live at Cleveland’s Black Box Theater 

LAST SHOWING!! 

Comedy troupe Last Call Cleveland is pleased to announce their “MICHAEL STANLEY SUPERSTAR: The unauthorized biography of the Cuyahoga Messiah” ENCORE stage show coming to Cleveland’s Black Box Theater on Friday, January 21st starting at 8pm. “The Cuyahoga Messiah” was born out of the wildly popular Michael Stanley-based skits from the group’s previous stage productions. This is the local comedy troupe’s eighth stage production, and their first since returning from two sold-out shows at the famed Improv Olympic West Theater in Los Angeles. 

"MS Superstar" is the mostly-fictional life-journey of Cleveland's beloved regional-rocker Michael Stanley. The inspiring tale spans his troubled youth, his lifelong struggle
against his arch-nemesis: Pittsburgh's Donny Iris, the on and off romance with his beloved Lana, his rise to relative fame, and his fall to the oblivion of Drive-Time
Radio. But the show is also a love letter to Stanley's constant companion in life, the beleaguered but spirited city of Cleveland itself. 

Last Call’s stage shows are always met with critical acclaim and roaring laughs. Last Call’s cast is Chad Zumock, Keith Carr, Jef Etters, Aaron McBride, and Mike Polk. The show will also feature local theater favorites Matt Zitelli and Mike Hagesfeld and newcomer Marcella Gattuso. 

(check lastcallcleveland.com for more info) or Cleveland Black Box Theater (http://www.cabaretdada.com/blackbox.html), 1210 West 6th Street in Cleveland’s Warehouse District. Fans are reminded that The Black Box Theater allows you to carry in your own beverages, which will make for a fun and inexpensive start to your night out. Friends and fans of the show are also invited to the after party at the Warehouse District Panini’s, 1290 West 6th Street . 

*Cool Cleveland Review*

Michael Stanley Superstar @ Cleveland Black Box Theater 12/10
What: Last Call Cleveland's rollicking stage mockumentary about the rise and fall of Cleveland's home-grown "rock messiah." 
Reasons to go: This comic pastiche of a show-biz bio is a high-energy barrel of laughs with many funny local references. A fictionalized Michael Stanley (Mike Polk, in school-pageant Abe Lincoln beard) joins a band at Rocky River High, lusts after love interest Leah (Marcella Gattuso, nubile in leggings and go-go boots), and sells his soul to the devil in order to become a rock god -- but is so naive he lowballs it, settling for being famous "between Brunswick, Willoughby, and Sheffield Lake". Jef Etters steals the show as his evil nemesis, Pittsburgh rocker Donnie Iris. Delightful multimedia clips, from faux family footage (Stanley grows up in a plastic Tyco playhouse) to a comic sex scene. 
Caveats: There's plenty of intentional cheese, from a smirking-wooden narrator (think Rocky Horror) to wigs so bad they could crawl offstage by themselves. The show doesn't aim high, and its performers are comics, not actors, but it hits its low-comedy targets way more often than not. A similar show in Chicago might run for 6 months or more -- so what's up with only two area performances? 
Backstory: One of the area's handful of improv comedy-theatre companies, Last Call Cleveland is now on its eighth stage show, and its first since its two sold-out performances at L.A.'s Improv Olympic West Theater. The 90-minute piece is a spin-off of its popular "Michael Stanley" sketches in earlier shows. 
Target audience: Comedy lovers with a taste for the sweetly silly. 
Details: Fri. 1/21at 8 pm, at Cabaret Dada's Cleveland Black Box Theater, 1210 W. 6th. http://www.cabaretdada.com/cbbt.shtml www.lastcallcleveland.com 
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein Linda at coolcleveland.com

*Cleveland Scene Review*

Speedwagon This Last Call Cleveland rocks and mocks Michael Stanley. BY CHRISTINE HOWEY
feedback at clevescene.com 

While few among us would actually sell our souls to the devil, exchanging a brief lifetime of success and fame for an eternity of pain and damnation, we'd all probably like to be given the opportunity. Such is the lure of celebrity. This is precisely the chance fledgling rocker Michael Stanley is offered in the rollicking parody now being performed by Last Call Cleveland. When Beelzebub presents the opportunity for world renown, Stanley avers that he'd be satisfied with just being famous in Ohio -- specifically Northeast Ohio, the area from Brunswick to Willoughby to Sheffield Lake. 

That's one of the many comedic high points in Michael Stanley Superstar: The Unauthorized Biography of the Cuyahoga Messiah, a loose, energetic, and frequently hilarious faux profile of the Cleveland rock legend. The Michael Stanley Band played a solid breed of midwestern rock and set attendance records at such nearby venues as Blossom and the Coliseum. But he never achieved much recognition beyond the broadcasting reach of classic-rock radio station WNCX, where Stanley is now a drive-time DJ. Still, MSB is close to the hearts of Clevelanders who were around in the late '70s and early '80s. 
The Last Call crew has assembled a loving and occasionally lacerating tribute to Stanley, tracing his richly fictionalized career in both live scenes and manufactured video clips. Born into a hardscrabble Cleveland family in 1948, Michael, we are told, was forced to live in a Tyco plastic playhouse for most of his youth. But once in high school, our hero joins three geek musicians (they all want to be veterinarians eventually) to pound out "hard-hittin', no-quittin', girl-gittin' rock and roll." And so he does, competing with Pittsburgh rocker Donnie Iris (a swaggering Jef Etters) for stage time and the affections of lovely Leah (Marcella Gattuso). 
Mike Polk, wearing the worst fake beard ever devised, plays Stanley with just the right amount of dazed earnestness (early on, when Leah 'fesses tender feelings for him, Polk's Stanley tries to respond in kind, but winds up saying, "I want to put things in you"). The excellent Aaron McBride plays saxman Barry, a palsied Dick Goddard, and a hysterical morning DJ whose brain-dead, machine-gun patter drives Stanley to the brink of madness. The proceedings are supposedly narrated by the former TV icon Barnaby, but Keith Carr's impression doesn't come within shouting distance of the real character; Carr, however, is much more successful as the menacing, pratfalling Satan. Also contributing to the laughter is Chad Zumock as agent Tony, who has to handle other clients -- mollifying TV and radio personality John Lanigan after a DUI, saying, "Don't worry, you'll never lose the Prize Movie." 
All these knowing Cleveland references, plus some knockoff MSB musical accompaniment and a relentlessly outrageous script, make this show irresistible. Let's hope Last Call finds a way to schedule a much longer run for this Superstar. 

clevescene.com | originally published: December 15, 2004 

Strike Up the Bland No Michael Stanleys were harmed in the making of this Last Call production. But not for lack of trying. BY MICHAEL GALLUCCI
michael.gallucci at clevescene.com 

It's quite a gamble to center a 90-minute show on a regional singer-songwriter who hasn't had a hit record in more than 20 years. But comedy troupe Last Call Cleveland is hoping that the city still has much love for heartland-rocker-turned-radio-DJ Michael Stanley. It's keeping its collective fingers crossed that Michael Stanley Superstar: The Unauthorized Biography of the Cuyahoga Messiah "will be a play that Cleveland will be proud of and embrace," says member Mike Polk, who plays Stanley in the production. 

The idea stemmed from Last Call's popular sketch performances, which pay mock musical tribute to Cleveland's favorite son. "This was a story that needed to be told," says Polk. Michael Stanley Superstar, however, combines real biography (he's huge in Northeast Ohio, but can't get a break outside of the area) with pure fiction (the show opens with Stanley holding a rival disc jockey hostage). "We really don't know anything about Michael Stanley," admits Polk. "We don't know anything about his life. 
"But we're not totally depending on him. We're depending on Cleveland as a whole. Michael Stanley just serves as the perfect vehicle. People like Michael Stanley were our Mickey Mantles growing up," continues Polk, sliding into sarcasm. "They had it figured out: This is a tough city." 
The story is just an excuse to poke fun at Stanley -- whose group, the Michael Stanley Band, was as big as Bruce Springsteen and the Stones during its peak in the early '80s -- and his anthemic but ham-fisted songs. "I remember going to Cavs games and listening to his rock anthem ["My Town"] and getting pumped up before Brad Daugherty scored 30 [points]," recalls Polk, who adds that he's "not really" a fan. 
Michael Stanley Superstar also features Last Call members playing other local "cultural icons" -- Dick Goddard, "Big Chuck" Schodowski, and Linn "Barnaby" Sheldon (the former kids'-TV host narrates) -- so there are plenty of opportunities for the show to get lost in translation. But that suits Polk and his castmates just fine. "It's about the determined spirit of Cleveland," he says. "It's a love letter to Cleveland." 
Stanley has been invited, but so far, Last Call hasn't heard from him. In fact, Last Callers have never met the guy they've been mocking on Cleveland comedy stages for the past few years. They didn't even bother obtaining rights to Stanley's songs for the show. "We saved ourselves the time and hassle," says Polk. "We pretty much knew [he would deny permission]." So they composed their own tunes. "We wrote music in the spirit of Michael Stanley. Luckily, Michael Stanley's songs only require knowledge of two or three chords. And you have to say a bunch of things about love and Cleveland and rocking. It's easier than you think to write 10 Michael Stanley songs." 

clevescene.com | originally published: December 8, 2004 

Last Call Cleveland 
1583 Lauderdale Rd
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
www.lastcallcleveland.com (website)
Contact: Chad Zumock (Public Relations Director) 
chad at lastcallcleveland.com (email)

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 
--0-1098812351-1104740711=:1341
Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii

<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma; BACKGROUND-COLOR: white">
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"></B></FONT></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"></B></FONT></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">LAST CALL </B><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City><st1:place><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">CLEVELAND</B></st1:place></st1:City> <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">presents</B></FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">“MICHAEL STANLEY SUPERSTAR:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF THE CUYAHOGA MESSIAH” <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B>
<DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Live at Cleveland’s Black Box Theater<o:p></o:p> </FONT></FONT></B>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT></STRONG> 
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>LAST SHOWING!!</FONT></STRONG> 
<DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p> 
<DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Comedy troupe Last Call Cleveland is pleased to announce their <FONT color=#0000bf>“MICHAEL STANLEY SUPERSTAR: The unauthorized biography of the Cuyahoga Messiah”</FONT> ENCORE stage show coming to Cleveland’s Black Box Theater on Friday, January 21st starting at 8pm. “The Cuyahoga Messiah” was born out of the wildly popular Michael Stanley-based skits from the group’s previous stage productions. This is the local comedy troupe’s eighth stage production, and their first since returning from two sold-out shows at the famed Improv Olympic West Theater in <st1:City><st1:place>Los Angeles</st1:place></st1:City>.</FONT> 
<DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New 
Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p> 
<DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>"MS Superstar" is the mostly-fictional life-journey of <st1:City><st1:place>Cleveland</st1:place></st1:City>'s beloved regional-rocker Michael Stanley. The inspiring tale spans his troubled youth, his lifelong struggle<BR>against his arch-nemesis: Pittsburgh's Donny Iris, the on and off romance with his beloved Lana, his rise to relative fame, and his fall to the oblivion of Drive-Time<BR>Radio. But the show is also a love letter to <st1:City><st1:place>Stanley</st1:place></st1:City>'s constant companion in life, the beleaguered but spirited city of <st1:City><st1:place>Cleveland</st1:place></st1:City> itself.</FONT> 
<DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New 
Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p> 
<DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Last Call’s stage shows are always met with critical acclaim and roaring laughs. Last Call’s cast is <STRONG>Chad Zumock, Keith Carr, Jef Etters, Aaron McBride, </STRONG>and<STRONG> Mike Polk</STRONG>. The show will also feature local theater favorites <STRONG>Matt Zitelli</STRONG> and <STRONG>Mike Hagesfeld</STRONG> and newcomer <STRONG>Marcella Gattuso.</STRONG></FONT> 
<DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New 
Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p> 
<DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>(check </FONT><A href="http://www.lastcallcleveland.com/" target=_blank><FONT face="Times New 
Roman" color=#003399 size=3>lastcallcleveland.com</FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> for more info)<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> </B>or Cleveland Black Box Theater (http://www.cabaretdada.com/blackbox.html), 1210 West 6<SUP>th</SUP> Street in Cleveland’s Warehouse District. Fans are reminded that The Black Box Theater allows you to carry in your own beverages, which will make for a fun and inexpensive start to your night out. Friends and fans of the show are also invited to the after party at the Warehouse District Panini’s, <st1:Street><st1:address>1290 West 6<SUP>th</SUP> Street</st1:address> </st1:Street>.</FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT> </P></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#ff4040 size=3><STRONG>*Cool Cleveland Review*</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT size=+1><STRONG>Michael Stanley Superstar @ Cleveland Black Box Theater 12/10</STRONG></FONT><BR clear=all><STRONG>What:</STRONG> Last Call Cleveland's rollicking stage mockumentary about the rise and fall of Cleveland's home-grown "rock messiah." <BR clear=all><STRONG>Reasons to go:</STRONG> This comic pastiche of a show-biz bio is a high-energy barrel of laughs with many funny local references. A fictionalized Michael Stanley (Mike Polk, in school-pageant Abe Lincoln beard) joins a band at Rocky River High, lusts after love interest Leah (Marcella Gattuso, nubile in leggings and go-go boots), and sells his soul to the devil in order to become a rock god -- but is so naive he lowballs it, settling for being famous "between Brunswick, Willoughby, and Sheffield Lake". Jef Etters steals the show as his evil nemesis, Pittsburgh rocker Donnie Iris. Delightful multimedia clips, from faux family footage (Stanley grows up in a plastic Tyco playhouse) to a comic sex scene. <BR
 clear=all><STRONG>Caveats:</STRONG> There's plenty of intentional cheese, from a smirking-wooden narrator (think <EM>Rocky Horror</EM>) to wigs so bad they could crawl offstage by themselves. The show doesn't aim high, and its performers are comics, not actors, but it hits its low-comedy targets way more often than not. A similar show in Chicago might run for 6 months or more -- so what's up with only two area performances? <BR clear=all><STRONG>Backstory:</STRONG> One of the area's handful of improv comedy-theatre companies, Last Call Cleveland is now on its eighth stage show, and its first since its two sold-out performances at L.A.'s Improv Olympic West Theater. The 90-minute piece is a spin-off of its popular "Michael Stanley" sketches in earlier shows. <BR clear=all><STRONG>Target audience:</STRONG> Comedy lovers with a taste for the sweetly silly. <BR clear=all><STRONG>Details:</STRONG> Fri. 1/21at 8 pm, at Cabaret Dada's Cleveland Black Box Theater, 1210 W. 6th. <A
 href="http://www.cabaretdada.com/cbbt.shtml" target=_blank>http://www.cabaretdada.com/cbbt.shtml</A> <A href="http://www.lastcallcleveland.com/">www.lastcallcleveland.com</A> <BR clear=all><STRONG>from <EM>Cool Cleveland</EM> contributor Linda Eisenstein <A href="mailto:Linda at coolcleveland.com">Linda at coolcleveland.com</A></STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000 size=3>*Cleveland Scene Review*</FONT></STRONG></P>
<P>
<TABLE class=storytext1 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD><SPAN class=storyhed><B>Speedwagon <I>This</I></B></SPAN> </TD>
<TD vAlign=bottom align=right rowSpan=2></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD><SPAN class=storydeck>Last Call Cleveland rocks and mocks Michael Stanley.</SPAN> </TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD colSpan=2><SPAN class=storyby><B>BY CHRISTINE HOWEY</B></SPAN><BR><A class=indexlink href="http://clevescene.com/feedback/index_html?author_email=feedback@clevescene.com&feedback_email=nope&headline=Speedwagon%20%3Ci%3EThis%3C/i%3E&issuedate=2004/12/15">feedback at clevescene.com</A> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></P>
<P>While few among us would actually sell our souls to the devil, exchanging a brief lifetime of success and fame for an eternity of pain and damnation, we'd all probably like to be given the opportunity. Such is the lure of celebrity. This is precisely the chance fledgling rocker Michael Stanley is offered in the rollicking parody now being performed by Last Call Cleveland. When Beelzebub presents the opportunity for world renown, Stanley avers that he'd be satisfied with just being famous in Ohio -- specifically Northeast Ohio, the area from Brunswick to Willoughby to Sheffield Lake. </P>
<P>That's one of the many comedic high points in <B><I>Michael Stanley Superstar: The Unauthorized Biography of the Cuyahoga Messiah</I></B>, a loose, energetic, and frequently hilarious faux profile of the Cleveland rock legend. The Michael Stanley Band played a solid breed of midwestern rock and set attendance records at such nearby venues as Blossom and the Coliseum. But he never achieved much recognition beyond the broadcasting reach of classic-rock radio station WNCX, where Stanley is now a drive-time DJ. Still, MSB is close to the hearts of Clevelanders who were around in the late '70s and early '80s. 
<P>The Last Call crew has assembled a loving and occasionally lacerating tribute to Stanley, tracing his richly fictionalized career in both live scenes and manufactured video clips. Born into a hardscrabble Cleveland family in 1948, Michael, we are told, was forced to live in a Tyco plastic playhouse for most of his youth. But once in high school, our hero joins three geek musicians (they all want to be veterinarians eventually) to pound out "hard-hittin', no-quittin', girl-gittin' rock and roll." And so he does, competing with Pittsburgh rocker Donnie Iris (a swaggering Jef Etters) for stage time and the affections of lovely Leah (Marcella Gattuso). 
<P>Mike Polk, wearing the worst fake beard ever devised, plays Stanley with just the right amount of dazed earnestness (early on, when Leah 'fesses tender feelings for him, Polk's Stanley tries to respond in kind, but winds up saying, "I want to put things in you"). The excellent Aaron McBride plays saxman Barry, a palsied Dick Goddard, and a hysterical morning DJ whose brain-dead, machine-gun patter drives Stanley to the brink of madness. The proceedings are supposedly narrated by the former TV icon Barnaby, but Keith Carr's impression doesn't come within shouting distance of the real character; Carr, however, is much more successful as the menacing, pratfalling Satan. Also contributing to the laughter is Chad Zumock as agent Tony, who has to handle other clients -- mollifying TV and radio personality John Lanigan after a DUI, saying, "Don't worry, you'll never lose the Prize Movie." 
<P>All these knowing Cleveland references, plus some knockoff MSB musical accompaniment and a relentlessly outrageous script, make this show irresistible. Let's hope Last Call finds a way to schedule a much longer run for this <I>Superstar</I>. 
<P>
<P>
<CENTER></CENTER>
<P>
<TABLE class=storytext1 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD><A href="http://clevescene.com/index.html"><B>clevescene.com</B></A> | originally published: December 15, 2004 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></P>
<P>
<TABLE class=storytext1 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD><SPAN class=storyhed><B>Strike Up the Bland</B></SPAN> </TD>
<TD vAlign=bottom align=right rowSpan=2></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD><SPAN class=storydeck>No Michael Stanleys were harmed in the making of this Last Call production. But not for lack of trying.</SPAN> </TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD colSpan=2><SPAN class=storyby><B>BY MICHAEL GALLUCCI</B></SPAN><BR><A class=indexlink href="http://clevescene.com/feedback/index_html?author_email=michael.gallucci@clevescene.com&feedback_email=nope&headline=Strike%20Up%20the%20Bland&issuedate=2004/12/08">michael.gallucci at clevescene.com</A> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></P>
<P>It's quite a gamble to center a 90-minute show on a regional singer-songwriter who hasn't had a hit record in more than 20 years. But comedy troupe Last Call Cleveland is hoping that the city still has much love for heartland-rocker-turned-radio-DJ Michael Stanley. It's keeping its collective fingers crossed that <B><I>Michael Stanley Superstar: The Unauthorized Biography of the Cuyahoga Messiah </I></B>"will be a play that Cleveland will be proud of and embrace," says member Mike Polk, who plays Stanley in the production. </P>
<P>The idea stemmed from Last Call's popular sketch performances, which pay mock musical tribute to Cleveland's favorite son. "This was a story that needed to be told," says Polk. <I>Michael Stanley Superstar</I>, however, combines real biography (he's <I>huge</I> in Northeast Ohio, but can't get a break outside of the area) with pure fiction (the show opens with Stanley holding a rival disc jockey hostage). "We really don't know anything about Michael Stanley," admits Polk. "We don't know anything about his life. 
<P>"But we're not totally depending on him. We're depending on Cleveland as a whole. Michael Stanley just serves as the perfect vehicle. People like Michael Stanley were our Mickey Mantles growing up," continues Polk, sliding into sarcasm. "They had it figured out: This is a tough city." 
<P>The story is just an excuse to poke fun at Stanley -- whose group, the Michael Stanley Band, was as big as Bruce Springsteen and the Stones during its peak in the early '80s -- and his anthemic but ham-fisted songs. "I remember going to Cavs games and listening to his rock anthem ["My Town"] and getting pumped up before Brad Daugherty scored 30 [points]," recalls Polk, who adds that he's "not really" a fan. 
<P><I>Michael Stanley Superstar</I> also features Last Call members playing other local "cultural icons" -- Dick Goddard, "Big Chuck" Schodowski, and Linn "Barnaby" Sheldon (the former kids'-TV host narrates) -- so there are plenty of opportunities for the show to get lost in translation. But that suits Polk and his castmates just fine. "It's about the determined spirit of Cleveland," he says. "It's a love letter to Cleveland." 
<P>Stanley has been invited, but so far, Last Call hasn't heard from him. In fact, Last Callers have never met the guy they've been mocking on Cleveland comedy stages for the past few years. They didn't even bother obtaining rights to Stanley's songs for the show. "We saved ourselves the time and hassle," says Polk. "We pretty much knew [he would deny permission]." So they composed their own tunes. "We wrote music in the<I> <I></I>spirit</I> of Michael Stanley. Luckily, Michael Stanley's songs only require knowledge of two or three chords. And you have to say a bunch of things about love and Cleveland and rocking. It's easier than you think to write 10 Michael Stanley songs." 
<P>
<P>
<CENTER></CENTER>
<P>
<TABLE class=storytext1 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD><A href="http://clevescene.com/index.html"><B>clevescene.com</B></A> | originally published: December 8, 2004 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR clear=all> </P></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV><BR><BR><DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"><STRONG>Last Call Cleveland</STRONG> <BR></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff>1583 Lauderdale Rd</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff>Lakewood, Ohio 44107<BR></FONT><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"><FONT color=#ff0000><FONT face=arial>www</FONT>.lastcallcleveland.com</FONT></FONT> (website)<BR><STRONG>Contact: Chad Zumock (Public Relations Director)</STRONG> <BR><A href="mailto:chad at lastcallcleveland.com">chad at lastcallcleveland.com</A> (email)</DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV><p>__________________________________________________<br>Do You Yahoo!?<br>Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around <br>http://mail.yahoo.com 
--0-1098812351-1104740711=:1341--