Toxic Avenger is presented by Dancap Productions and is playing at the Danforth Music Hall.
The Toxic Avenger is set in New Jersey in the very polluted town of Tromaville. Our hero starts out as the socially-conscious but also socially inept Melvin Ferd the Third, a self proclaimed activist determined to clean up his town and take on the evil mayor (Lousie Pitre) while nursing an unrequited crush on the very hot but very blind librarian Sarah (Brittany Gray). After Melvin uncovers incriminating evidence against her, the mayor sends her thugs to get rid of him. They dunk him in a barrel of toxic waste, and thus turn him into the title anti-hero, the Toxic Avenger.
Evan Alexander Smith was an excellent choice for the title character....both as Melvin and Toxie. His sweet nature comes shining through and his struggles as both characters are easy to relate to as a normal person.
Lousie Pitre, who plays the less-than-noble Mayor of Tromaville was a delight to watch. Pitre pulls off her multiple roles in the show with a practiced ease, even to the point of two separate characters fighting one another (you have to see just how well this is done :) )
Brittany Gray's portrayal of the heroine Sarah , a blind librarian that is at the same time sweet, naive, salacious, wanton and timid. On the surface she is the shy, girl-next-door type, but the audience soon finds out that there is a shameless harlot lurking beneath those blonde locks and baby blue eyes.
There is quite a bit of swearing, exaggerated violence and "sexual situations" in the show so parents or those who do not appreciate that sort of thing might be better not to see this show.
One issue I did find with the production is that the words of the songs were often overwhelmed by the music, making it very difficult if not impossible to hear some of the lyrics.
That aside Toxic Avenger is a fun time with good music, although definately not suitable for some audiences.
On a side note, I would also like to recommend Allen's, the restaurant right beside the theatre. We stopped in for dinner before the show and it was delightful. We started with Sour Cream vichyssoise and Sweet potato fries...very yummy. The fish and chips was one of the best in the city with a light crisp coating and impeccibly cooked fish and their chcocolate bread pudding with pecans and bourbon-caramel sauce was to die for! :) Their website is http://www.allens.to/ check them out!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Everybody Loves/Hates a critic
Hi there Everybody!!!
I know what you are thinking...here is another person who thinks that they are an expert on theatre who is going to tell you that they know what you should or should not go and see.
Well, yes and no.
I was so tired of reading reviews from people who seem completely out of touch with "normal" people. I have read many reviews on shows where the critics sing high praises of shows that really were not that great and other shows that they panned and yet were great fun and enjoyed long runs despite what these professionals think. I am definately not a professional and that is what I think gives me a bit of an edge as I am not trying to make money from my reviews, I am just trying to give people an idea if a show is one that they may want to spend their money and/or time to see.
This blog will be done from a "man on the street" prespective with no fancy language or phrases just simple, honest and clear recommendations to shows that I think people would enjoy. I am not endorsed by anyone in the industry and so I can give a completely unbiased opinion of the show. It does not matter what size of show it is...I will review as many as I can. In addition to reviews of shows I will also be putting in commentary on what I see happening in general with the Toronto theatre scene and its players, both onstage and off.
To do this, I will need help from my readers. If you hear of upcoming shows that you would like to see me review then let me know either on the blog here or by emailing me at theatreprivateeye@gmail.com and I will do my best to get a review up for you.
Also, I invite your comments in regards to what I write. If you agree, tell me. If you don't, tell me. If you think I am completely nuts....well you might be right but still let me know! :)
I know what you are thinking...here is another person who thinks that they are an expert on theatre who is going to tell you that they know what you should or should not go and see.
Well, yes and no.
I was so tired of reading reviews from people who seem completely out of touch with "normal" people. I have read many reviews on shows where the critics sing high praises of shows that really were not that great and other shows that they panned and yet were great fun and enjoyed long runs despite what these professionals think. I am definately not a professional and that is what I think gives me a bit of an edge as I am not trying to make money from my reviews, I am just trying to give people an idea if a show is one that they may want to spend their money and/or time to see.
This blog will be done from a "man on the street" prespective with no fancy language or phrases just simple, honest and clear recommendations to shows that I think people would enjoy. I am not endorsed by anyone in the industry and so I can give a completely unbiased opinion of the show. It does not matter what size of show it is...I will review as many as I can. In addition to reviews of shows I will also be putting in commentary on what I see happening in general with the Toronto theatre scene and its players, both onstage and off.
To do this, I will need help from my readers. If you hear of upcoming shows that you would like to see me review then let me know either on the blog here or by emailing me at theatreprivateeye@gmail.com and I will do my best to get a review up for you.
Also, I invite your comments in regards to what I write. If you agree, tell me. If you don't, tell me. If you think I am completely nuts....well you might be right but still let me know! :)
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