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When you go to the Longmont Theatre website to buy your tickets for The Toxic Avenger, and you should, do yourself a favor and skip the plot summary. This isn't the kind of show where the story matters. If you're at all interested in musical theater, just go. If you're not, you'll still have a pretty good time.
For those who simply must know, The Toxic Avenger is a musical based on the stunningly mediocre 1984 film of the same name. Originally debuting in 2008, the musical is set in Tromaville, New Jersey and is the kind of New Jersey town which only a New Yorker could imagine. Tired of being up to their eyeballs in imported toxic waste...whatever. I'm not even going to finish my own synopsis, because the plot itself is entirely unmemorable despite being filled with great characters.
What's important is that the show is made up of a very small cast -- just 5 strong. And strong is the right word. Each of the 5 actors, three of whom play multiple roles, turns in a wonderful performance as a variety of caricatures of Broadway stereotypes. This is a show filled with kitsch which the cast pulls off admirably by embracing and emphasizing each character's individual quirks. While none of the characters is written in 3D, they have just enough texture through costume and expression to do their job. And make no mistake, the job of every line of dialogue in the play is to move the plot far enough to get to the next song.
The real reason you'll go see The Toxic Avenger is for the musical numbers. As no great lover of musical theater myself, the songs are snappily written with enough zingers and slapstick to keep me engaged. If you're more plugged in, you'll also appreciate the friendly jabs and homage to other musicals. But what will really impress you about the show is the quality of the voices doing the singing. This is community theater, but each member of the cast can really sing. The Longmont Theatre invested in high quality microphones and speakers in order to showcase the cast's range, and that investment pays a multitude of dividends here. Notable feats include Rachel Brady switching octaves and accents 10 times in as many lines and Preston Adams and Marcus Neppl's flawless falsetto.
When the actors aren't singing, they aren't helped by the quality of the dialogue which is often blunt and mostly functional. Notable exceptions are the scenes where Josh Leisure and Emily Gerhard are left alone on stage to play out their characters' increasingly awkward relationship. The writing is better, but what really carries those scenes is the actors' ability to provide a sense of sincerity to their character's narrow goals. The rapid transition to song helps a lot too. Rachel Brady plays the show's sultry and manipulative villain and, separately, a nagging mother and creates a pair of characters you won't quite hate but will thank constantly for adding a bit of conflict to the tale.
Preston Adams and Marcus Neppl totally steal the show, which would be worth the price of admission just for the experience of watching them displace a whole cast of extras. My companion for the evening counted no fewer than 30 costume changes for the two, very few of which are as simple as taking off a coat and putting on a hat. The pair bear-hug the silliness of the many characters they play and are on stage for all of the show's best moments.
The Toxic Avenger is worth your time and money if you have even the slightest affection for live performance. It's a great night out for adults and one which will leave you with plenty to talk about on a date. And for reasons I can't quite pin down, this is a great time of year to see it.
The Toxic Avenger, presented by the Longmont Theatre Company, is playing at the Company's theater at 513 Main Street on October 19th, 20th, 26th and 27th at 7:30 p.m. with a special late show and costume contest on the 27th at 11:00 p.m. Expect to be out about 2 hours after curtain. Tickets are $25 at the box office with a $3.48 convenience fee to purchase online. Drinks by Longtucky Spirits will be available in the lobby before the show and during intermission.
