I remember back in the 1980s when there was this spate of body-switching comedies, such as "Like Father, Like Son" and "Vice Versa." All were lame, which created lowered expectations for a little sleeper of a movie called "Big," which went on to become a huge hit (and eventually a bad musical, but I digress...) So just because something's been done before, or even done to death, that doesn't mean that something of genuine quality can't slip through and surprise the naysayers.
Which is why I'm open-minded about The Toxic Avenger Musical. Sure, there have been campy, Off-Broadway blood baths aplenty, dating back to Little Shop of Horrors in 1982. Subsequent offerings have included the terrific Bat Boy and Urinetown, the middling Reefer Madness, and, most recently, the dreadful Evil Dead. But, to me, it's all about execution, and I'm willing to give Toxic Avenger the benefit of the doubt.
The show is based on the surprisingly genial 1984 cult film "The Toxic Avenger," and played recently to decent reviews in New Jersey -- appropriately enough, since "Toxie," as he is called by aficionados, is self-described as "New Jersey's First Superhero." And the show's creators boast a fairly decent pedigree. The book and lyrics are by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change) and the direction is by John Rando (Urinetown). The music comes from Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan, who also contributed to the lyrics. The show's Web site has sample tracks from the score, and although Bon Jovi ballads really aren't my idiom, some of the lyrics are really quite clever and funny.
The delightful Nancy Opel, who played the mayor of the town that Toxie terrorizes in the show's world premiere, will reprise her role for the Off-Broadway run. Further casting to be announced. The show begins previews at the New World Stages in March toward an April opening. I hope to take in one of the preview performances. Look for my review here shortly thereafter.
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