Tuesday, December 8, 2009

The Toxic Avenger

I've never made a point of this, but I'm not a big fan of musicals.
I'm not sure why, but with a few exceptions, they just don't seem to appeal to me.
Well after getting to see the Toxic Avenger the Musical , last weekend, I've added 1 more to that short list. My friend Glenn and I caught the show, now playing at the Danforth Music Hall http://www.themusichall.ca/ , Saturday night and it was fantastic. Here's what Glenn had to say..

"Disclaimer: I am a fan of musicals of inappropriate themes. And bad b-movies. When it really comes to it, all plays are judged by the performances, sets, music and production. TA-Tm's actors all had great performances, with the near herculean efforts of the secondary character players (McKnight, Herbert) really impressing - it seems they were able to change characters and costumes in seconds. The set, initially a pile of barrels of glowing toxic waste, transforms into libraries, a young woman's apartment, a mad scientist's lab and more. The flow between scenes, partially shrouded in darkness, was nothing short of amazing. The set, well, if I say more, I will ruin what amounts to a show in itself.This is a rock and roll musical so it definitely had the catchy songs and rocking beats you would expect. All the songs were fun and, for the most part, funny (You have to have the serious love ballad, come on!). It also has an amazing, unusual duet that will just floor you.Production, the nuts and bolts and flow of the show - and with the costume changes mentioned earlier, the great sets, the coordination of scene switches - this was like clockwork. With the transforming set (I am giving stuff away again), costumes,effects - this showcases the skill of the people who you don't see that deserve as much acclaim as the actors themselves. And they were simply fantastic in this play.Contrary to the lady across the aisle from me with her son, it may not be the best thing for kids, but if you want to see a kids' musical, go see one. This ain't for kids!So, all the specs aside, I really enjoyed this show and would love to see it again."
Thanks Glenn, and I can' t stress enough that even if you don't think you'll like a musical(like me), you might just be surprised when you go see The Toxic Avenger the Musical. http://www.toxicavengertoronto.com

Blog Archive