A bluegrass musical about Loveland’s beloved cryptid is coming to the stage this September in a special 10th-anniversary production featuring of the original cast members.
HOT DAMN! IT’S THE LOVELAND FROG! first premiered during the 2014 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Loveland native Michael D. Hall and Cincinnati native Joshua Steele wrote the book, music and lyrics, which were inspired by real accounts of Loveland Frog spottings, who legend says can be spotted roaming the banks of the Little Miami River.
“I lived in Loveland for a good part of my life, and somehow didn’t hear the story until after I had graduated high school,” Hall shared in a press release. “Once I did, I learned as much as I could about this creature. I still find the story fascinating, and I feel like he’s a part of my life now.”
After sharing this story with Steele in 2013, the pair were compelled to pen this original musical. It opened to sold-out crowds and received praise from critics.
“There’s a lot to love about this little gem of a musical. Let’s start with Mike Hall and Joshua Steele, the talented playwrights and songwriters who have crafted a riotously funny but infectiously endearing tale… a joy from start to finish,” CityBeat critic Joe McDonough wrote at the time.
HOT DAMN! IT’S THE LOVELAND FROG! follows the disappearance of community outcast, Peepaw, which sparks hysteria surrounding the mysterious Loveland Frog.
“Join Luke Honeywell and a smokin’ bluegrass band on a riotous river adventure with maniacal moonshiners, a strange professor and crooked cops as they rescue Peepaw from the wondrous and elusive Loveland Frog,” reads the synopsis.
Hugo West Theatricals will put on the production at The Loveland Stage Company Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 5-7 at 7:30 each night. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online here or by calling 513-443-4572.
The musical will be helmed by director, actor, playwright and educator Kevin Crowley. Steve Goers will reprise his 2014 role as music director and pianist, as well as do a little acting.
The musical’s cast features all local actors. Actor Randy Lee Bailey will also reprise his 2014 role as demented moonshiner Clem Stank and will be joined by Bethany Xan Kerr, who will be playing Randi Mae Stank. Theater artist Ed Cohen, best known for his directing work at The Carnegie and the UC College-Conservatory of Music, will play Alvin Schwartzman.
Deondra Means plays Police Chief Roy Barkley, who becomes an unwitting accomplice to the villainous Jeb Schmidt, played by stage and screen actor Paul Morris. And Cian Steele and Chloe Esmeier, both former students of Steele’s at Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts, will star as Luke Honeywell and Dharla Barkley.
The timing of the musical also coincides with the mini-triathlon The Loveland Frogman Race, in which teams and individuals will run, kayak and bike to a finish line.
The Loveland Stage Company, 111 S. 2nd St., Loveland. More info: lovelandstagecompany.org.
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This article appears in Jul 24 – Aug 6, 2024.
