I Can’t Believe They Say “Cheese and Crackers” in this Play

As I flipped through TDF’s current offerings, I noticed a show entitled The Bus. I do not know anything about this show but since it is also the title of one of my favorite tunes from the musical Caroline, or Change, I decided to click on it and could not help but notice the following audience advisory.

Audience advisory (from the show's website:) The Bus is appropriate for mature teens and adults. It contains strong language, sexual situations and a teenager's report on menstruation. Two boys faces get awfully close to each other. The words 'god' and 'dude' are both used as a noun and an exclamation. There's an exchange of shirts. A mention of musicals. At one point an old man shouts, 'Cheese and crackers!'

Do the creators really have this message on their website? Using some “google power” I quickly uncovered that they do in fact have fun with the advisory. But what was more interesting is how the play, which runs from Oct 4th - 30th at 59E59 Theaters, was produced. 

The journey is summarized somewhat on Kickstarter.com, a site used by creative souls to fund their projects. To help bring the play to Off Broadway and then to a baptist church in Topeka Kansas, the creators raised $50K by offering tickets and tchotchkes to some 396 backers for pledges ranging from $1 to $5000. Using updates on kickstarter.com, they outline everything from launching their website, building the set, the cast, the director, rehearsals and more. 

So, what do I love about this project from what I've read. It is grassroots, the creators seem to be about educating (after Kansas, they want to move on to other Midwestern towns) and they use humor. Now, I just may have to add this play to my theater lineup for October. I just don't know if  I can take all the "cheese and crackers" language.