We had a great time seeing The Toxic Avenger at the Arts Asylum this weekend. The songs were campy and heartfelt and the singing, dancing, and overall showmanship were top-tier. The physicality of the performances made it super fun and impressive. It was almost like watching a 90 minute cardio class. The actors were throwing their whole bodies into the dances and the gestures to really give it that kind of comedic and cartoonish feel, but like in the best way possible; think of The Mask or Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

There was a lot of audience participation as well. As a former and current recluse, this terrified me, but I do believe that is the point.
The technical side was just as intoxicating, pun intended. The lighting gave this overall eerie feeling. It gave this kind of wasteland/toxic dump/futuristic dystopia that we’re all afraid of happening where everything is wet or rusted or smell awful, but it wasn’t futuristic. It was New Jersey…

The sound design was great as well. I could hear everything clearly and the band in the back did the phenomenal job. The score was it written really well to give you that nostalgic kind of late 80s/early 90s rock and synth vibe. The overall theme of this play is about recognizing how we are polluting our planet for profit and how those who are in power will do anything possible to make sure it stays that way. Thus, the cast and crew went down every avenue to try to get your attention about it. There’s sex, there’s drugs, there’s violence and all of the attention grabbing tropes that we use to get our messages out. I was not expecting it to be raunchy But they pulled it off like a Captain Planet cabaret.

From an attendee’s perspective, it was a great production with exceptional attention to detail. Props to stage design, pun intended again. We hope it gets picked up in other markets because it deserves a bigger audience. A big thank you to the Arts Asylum for putting on another wonderful show. We can’t wait to see what other hidden gems do you have in store for us!