by Jim Testa
If the idea of a musical comedy based
on Troma Studio's 1983 cult classic "The
Toxic Avenger" appeals to you at all,
then run - do not walk - to the George Street
Playhouse in New Brunswick and see this laugh-a-minute
gem before it moves to New York.
THE TOXIC AVENGER MUSICAL
By Joe DiPietro and David Bryan, directed
by John Rando
The George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston
Avenue, New Brunswick
- Runs through November 2
There was only one way to bring "The
Toxic Avenger" to the stage, and that
was as a spoof - taking the already camp material
and injecting it with even more laughs. And
that's exactly what writer Joe DiPietro and
composer David Bryan (Bon Jovi's keyboardist)
have done. Brilliantly directed by John Rando
(who won a Tony for directing Urinetown,)
"Toxie" takes on new life in this
hilarious, laugh-out-loud musical, which features
a clever revolving stage composed of drums
of toxic waste and a tiny cast that brings
a small army of characters to life. Tromaville,
NJ never had it so good.
Nick Cordero stars as Melvin Ferd the Third,
who gets dumped in a tub of toxic waste and
emerges as The Toxic Avenger. Audra Balser
plays his girlfriend Sarah, the blind librarian
(and boy is that milked for slapstick laughs!),
while the rest of the cast each play multiple
roles. Nancy Opel amazes as both Melvin's
Jewish mother and the evil Mayor, the mastermind
behind the corporation that's inundating Tromaville
with nuclear waste. David Josefsberg and Desmond
Green round out the cast, playing everything
from the town bullies who try to kill Melvin
to sexy go-go girls, each costume change guaranteed
to bring another belly laugh. Wait until you
see Ma Ferd and the Mayor (who, it turns out,
stole the affections of Mr. Ferd years ago)
face off in a schizophrenic tour de force.
The plot's pretty simple: Melvin, with the help
of Sarah the librarian, uncovers dirty doings
by the Mayor, who's conspiring to become the
next Governor of New Jersey while importing
tons of toxic waste into Tromaville. When Melvin
tries to blow the whistle, the Mayor has her
goons silence the poor shlump, but his bath
in toxic gunk transforms him into a green, goo-dripping
mutant with super-strength. There are fights
galore, dismembered limbs, decapitations, and
a final confrontation between good and evil,
as the Toxic Avenger tries to clean up Tromaville.
The songs by David Bryan may not win many
points for originality - many of the melodies
sound like something you've heard before -
but they're serviceable enough, using doo
wop ballads, Tina Turner-styled soul, and
Meat Loaf-like anthems to move the action
forward. And the lyrics pack just as many
laughs as the joke-filled dialogue. Everyone
in the cast can belt out a melody, too, with
many of the songs testing the limits of each
actor's falsetto.
Mostly, though, "The Toxic Avenger Musical"
is just plain fun. LOL funny. Doubling over
in your seat funny. And given what's happening
in the news right now, don't we all need a
laugh? Here's the Toxic Avenger to save the
day. Today, Tromaville; tomorrow, the world.
