io9: toxic avenger

Watch the Toxic Avenger Sing His Way to Vengeance and a Greener Earth

Lauren Davis — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:00:00 PDT

Back in April, we told you that Troma Productions was planning a new musical adaptation of its campy cult classic The Toxic Avenger. This month, audiences in New Jersey can watch Melvin Ferd the Third fight the forces of evil with the help of his superstrength and a four-piece rock band. Not sure if it’s worth schlepping to New Jersey to watch the green man sing? We’ve found five clips that give you a taste of the musical mutant love.

This is actually the third musical version of The Toxic Avenger, but this one comes with the pedigree of Tony award-winning director John Rando (Urinetown), Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan, and playwright Joe DiPietro. A member of the audience took footage of last Thursday’s performance, highlighting a few of the show’s musical numbers:

Bitch, Slut, Liar, Whore

Hot Toxic Love (Reprise)

Kill the Freak

Kick Your Ass

It’s a Brand New Day In New Jersey

The Toxic Avenger Musical is playing through November 2nd at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

[The Toxic Avenger Musical]

Toxie Is Back And Dealing With His Midlife Crisis

Meredith Woerner — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:00:20 PDT

Lloyd Kaufman, the creator of the Toxic Avenger, is gearing up for a 5th installment of this toxic-waste-mutant cult classic. But in this one, Toxie has to deal with real life issues. “In The Toxic Avenger Parts II-IV, he [Toxie] has gotten married and had children," explains Kaufman. "Now he’ll have to deal with his wife’s menopause, his erectile dysfunction — which is a constant erection — and his rebellious kid." [Fangoria]

Toxic Avenger Goes On All Singing, All Dancing Rampage

Meredith Woerner — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:00:00 PDT

One of the weirdest mutant exploitation movies of all time has been turned into a musical, being staged in New Jersey. The Toxic Avenger, formerly a bizarre B-movie about a skinny nerd who becomes a deformed super-hero after falling into a barrel of toxic waste, has been adapted into a stage musical twice before — but this time around, it harnesses the awesome songwriting skills of a Bon Jovi member. Learn more, and listen to one of the musical's songs, after the jump.

Toxic Avenger: The Musical is focused around the fictional town of Tromaville, New Jersey and their local green-minded superhero, the Toxic Avenger. This version, which doesn't share any material with 2004's Toxic Avenger: The Musical (staged in Omaha, Nebraska) or the 2006 Toxic Avenger: The Musikill.

This time around, it was written by Joe DiPietro from I Love You You're Perfect Now Change, with lyrics from Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan. Tony Award-winning director John Rando (from Urinetown) has also signed on.

As with the original movie, the musical follows Melvin Ferd and his transformation into the Toxic Avenger. According to the musical's booth at New York Comic-Con, he'll be "writing wrongs, beating bullies and seducing his lady love Sarah the blind librarian." With musical titles such as "All Men Are Freaks" and "Hot Toxic Love" how could this not succeed? Take a listen to "Brand New Day In New Jersey" right here and check out the rest of the tracks on their website. The show begins September 30, 2008 in New Brunswick, NJ. Fingers crossed for a chorus line of deformed mutants doing a little soft shoe with mops in hand. [Toxic Avenger: The Musical]