Even without the offensive olfactory sensations of driving through certain Jersey towns, you can sense what’s fermenting from the first look around the Cabaret at Theater Square. “The Toxic Avenger,” a raucous rock ‘n’ roll musical satire, has invaded the Downtown venue, now configured in an “L,” with sections of chain-link fencing, corrugated steel and chemical drums.
3 comments:
I am happy to hear such a good review of this production. Having read the article that was featured last week, I was hoping that the production provided as good a time as it seemed the actors were having. I enjoyed the mention that this musical "employs the absurdities of the comic book genre" because I have recently discussed with my classmates the importance if comic books and their unique storytelling genre. I think it is a great thing that this musical provides a way to get people interested in the methods of comic books. I also enjoyed how one of the first thing the article mentions is the set design. It is always cool to hear how the audience member was taken into the world as soon as they walked into the venue because of the great scenic design. The description of the rest of the show interests me because it sounds like it is a story told in a style that we don't often see anymore. I hope I get the chance to go see it.
I have mixed feelings about productions that have been adapted. Really, I just have one worry, which is that the production wouldn’t do the movie or itself justice. The one example I can think of is the Heathers. I recently watched the movie a couple of weeks ago, and loved it. I think all lot of things in that movie could be viewed as over the top and ridiculous (especially those watching it years later), but I find the movie to be charming and genius. There are a lot of things you could analyze from the colors of lighting, to the costumes, to the dialogue, and when I get enough time, that is exactly what I want to do. But with the musical version I found on YouTube, it was alright, but I felt like I was holding some expectations that weren’t necessarily met. Now, I didn’t expect it to be completely the same, but rather I wanted it to be like an addition to the movie. For example, for anyone who knows the manga/anime Bleach, there is a series of musicals, (NOT THE 2011 OR 2012 ONES), which I just adore! And the reason I adore them is because while keeping relatively cannon, they added more to the story and characters, which made me fall in love with it all over again. I feel like an adaption should add something, whether it be an expansion of plot or just the overall feeling, to the original, even stand alone. With that said, in no way do I discourage people adapting one form of media to another. I would encourage it be done, and done right. There are many movies that I would love to see adaptions of (For example Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, that would be amazing!!!). I don’t have any particular connections to the movie Toxic Avenger, I haven’t even seen the film, but seeing good reviews for it does make me happy.
Ok, I’m going to be honest, this is much cooler than I first thought and I’m even sadder that I didn’t get to see it. Keith Traux – who was the lighting designer for it – invited me to come see it as he had been telling me about the fact that he was working on it and that it was in Pittsburgh ever since the early summer when he learned about the job. The words “cult film” always worry me slightly, but this seemed like a really cool musical which I wish I had experienced. I had seen two of Keith’s designs before in person – Sharon’s Grave and Sherlock – which were both the summer before this past and very different from what I imagine this design was like. I also thought that the interesting portion about the actor who lost one of his legs was really cool but seemed to take up some space in an article which really did not provide much about the show itself except for a vague outline. I would have liked to get some more information about what the author thought about the production – if the author even saw it – like I think a review in this setting should do.
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