Written by 8:48 pm fullerton, Maverick Theatre, Musical, Review, Uncategorized

Environmentally Unfriendly : The Toxic Avenger Musical @ The Maverick Theatre in Fullerton – Review

Written by Patrick Chavis 

Heroes come in many forms. Right now, they come in capes with rippling muscles at the cinema and have very bad story development (Exhibit A, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice). But if you find yourself at the Maverick Theatre this April, you’ll discover a new type of hero. The kind of hero with silly story development that might make you barf. And it’s all because of his toxic awesomeness!

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Korey Gene Mitchell, Steven Joseph Alcantar, Tara Pitt Courtesy: Vicki Woods

Story:

Toxic Avenger is the story of Melvin Ferd the  Third, but he’s so much more than a nerd. Bill Nye’s a Nerd; Neil deGrasse Tyson is a Nerd, but Melvin is also a loser with a serious lack of self-confidence, which is a fact his love interest is kind enough to point out cheerfully. New Jersey has a horrible toxic waste issue, and Melvin Ferd vows to clean his city up. While looking into the city records, he discovers the toxic waste is the fault of their corrupt mayor, Babs Belgoody. Melvin plans to blow the whistle, but before he can do so, the mayor sends her inept goons to silence him by throwing him into a vat of toxic waste. This endows Melvin with superhuman strength, a super ugly face, and a fantastic new name–The Toxic Avenger (or “Toxi” for short).

What I like about Toxic Avenger the Musical is that it knows what it is and consistently stays with it the entire storyline. Toxic Avenger the Musical is a farce, and it knows it’s telling you a basic storyline of a loser rising to become something more. But because the story is self-aware and outlandish, the basic plot structure becomes unique and different. The show purposely has a shallow sense of storytelling. Even the main message, which isn’t hidden at all, of taking care of the environment is flat-out said near the end of the show. No one is walking out of this musical thinking, what was that about? What are the psychological effects society has on Melvin Ferd? Unlike the Hudson River, this show’s writing and overall aim are crystal clear.

Set:

The Maverick did their research. The set design, which was shrunken down to fit the space, is similar to some early New York productions, but they didn’t merely mimic those groups. You notice similarities. The costumes, especially those used for Toxi, are unique. You’ve never seen this version of Toxic Avenger, which makes theatre so wonderful and alive. We get topical Trump jokes thrown into the show. The costume is outlandish, with an eyeball popping out the majority of the time. Some gags happen when someone has trouble exiting off the stage because they weren’t fast enough. You get all of this when you go to this show.

Acting:

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Enrique Munoz Jr and Tara Pitt Photo Credit: Vicki Woods

Two actors are playing the entire ensemble–Korey Gene Mitchell and Steven Joseph Alcantar. They each play at least five different characters and nail it every time. It’s hilarious, and the actors utilize the entire space of the Maverick. This show is not restricted to the stage. Tara Pit and Enrique are strong leads. Enrique (Toxi) can belt with the best of them. I would be remiss not to mention Dahna Lane (Mayor Babs/Ma Ferd/Nun), who not only pulls off three characters but plays two characters simultaneously in a dynamic fashion. 

Do you lack a sense of humor, hate loud rock music, and don’t understand sarcasm? Then Toxic Avenger the Musical is not the show that will change you, but for everyone else, this is another solid performance from the Maverick theatre crew.

Side Note: The drumming by Sho Fujieda is exhilarating! 

April 1st – May 7th

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Review
8.4 Overall
0 Users (0 votes)
Story8
Acting9
Set & Design8.5
Costumes8
Entertainment8.5
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