Despite considering myself something a film lover, the works of Lloyd Kaufman have always been a blank space in my cinematic journey. However, if the Troma films carry any of the charm and humor of Toxic Avenger: the Musical, the Off-Broadway hit now being given a stellar staging as part of Doctuh Mistuh’s Summer Smash at Austin Playhouse, then I’ve obviously been missing out. Though the musical is often over-the-top, and indeed quite crude, the amount of heart and wit packed into this 90-minute wonder makes it a recommendation even to those who haven’t fallen in love with Kaufman’s oeuvre.
It’d be easy for Toxic Avenger to play everything for broad laughs, but it’s to its credit how invested one becomes in this world. Like so many of his works, director Michael McKelvey is able to pull audiences into the grime-riddled streets of Tromaville quite effectively, and, along with his incredibly skilled cast, creates a level of empathy for this rag tag group of weirdos that endears them to the audience. That isn’t to say that the play is without its broad laughs: it brings plenty. The show admittedly uses the fire hose approach to joke-telling, and though not every joke lands, when one does, it’ll knock you right out of your chair.
Joey Banks has been a stalwart performer in the Austin theatre scene for some time, and his performance here as the titular Avenger is yet another feather in his already impressive cap. Balancing the aw-shucks nerdiness and positivity of Melvin Ferd III with the larger-than-life personality of Toxie can’t be easy, but Banks makes it feel like a walk in the park, the dichotomy creating some solid humor, while he never loses sight of either side of the character. Even when the Toxic Avenger side’s darker tones take over in the later stages of the show, Melvin’s constant yearning to do good peeks through. Even beneath several layers of costume and makeup, Banks’ undeniable charm shines through, raw charisma that not even a hanging eye can tarnish.
One true star to shine out of Toxic Avenger is Madi Sipe as Sarah, Toxie’s blind librarian lover, the actress bringing a wide-eyed optimism matched in kind with some solid comedic chops. Several of the biggest belly laughs of the piece come when her supposed innocent, nonjudgmental qualities come face to face with harsh realities, and her physicality is first rate, playing into the character’s blindness in hilarious ways. She also combines a sense of purity with bursts of sensuality that’s honestly remarkable to see, creating some surprisingly steamy chemistry at times with Banks’ Toxie.
Though most of the performers in Toxic Avengers have a heavy weight to carry in playing several different characters (Paul Sanchez and Will Thompson both play upwards of a dozen characters, and with gusto), you could make a winning argument that the hardest working person on the stage of the Toxic Avenger would have to be Leslie Hollingsworth, who plays the dual roles of Toxie’s mother and Tromaville’s corrupt mayor. Hollingsworth looks to be having the time of her life, with both characters played the rafters, her wild talent for comedy on full display. This reaches its zenith in the Act I’s ending number, “Bitch/Slut/Liar/Whore”, one of the most memorable moments of comedic theatre I’ve seen in some time, and a song that, for all its crudeness, will be ear-worming itself into your head for days. Throughout the song, her quick vacillations between her two roles are used for ludicrous effect, culminating in a shocking moment of both acting and costume design that really must be seen to be believed. Whether having to turn on the slinky sultriness of the mayor; the harsh, but loving notes of a worried (if disappointed) mother; or both, simultaneously, Hollingsworth carries it all with skillful versatility.
On paper, Toxic Avenger would appear to be an odd choice for a production with this budget, so it’s pleasant surprise that the production is so well-designed. Glenda Wolfe returns after doing amazing work with Lizzie, here leaning hard into the campy, comic book stylings, with the over-the-top cheese taking center stage. The costume for Toxie is goofy in the best way possible, his obviously fake muscles and hanging eye playing up the camp of the entire affair, while Sarah is styled to balance both her innocence and her sexiness, with a climactic outfit choice that is a sheer delight. Her best work, however, is done for the town’s Mayor, furnishing her in decadent fur and slinky dresses, and performing a bit of design at the play’s midpoint that will be talked about for some time. The comic book style is also underlined by Joe Carpenter set design and Sam Chesney lighting design, which all come together in a charmingly daffy cityscape that could have pulled from a lost Schumacher Batman.
Elevated by a winning cast, Doctuh Mistuh’s Toxic Avenger is surprisingly charming, constantly hilarious, and shockingly well-designed. The comedy may not always hit, and some of the props show their budget, but on the whole the journey through the dirty streets of Tromaville is a worthwhile one, even for those who aren’t acolytes of Kaufman and his works.
Toxic Avenger: the Musical is playing at Austin Playhouse through August 10th. For more information, and to purchase tickets, please visit doctuhmistuh.org.
Photos courtesy of Doctuh Mistuh Productions.
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