Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Pleasance One – until 28 August. Reviewed by Jessica Brady
3***
Based on the 1984 cult classic directed by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman, this musical remake of The Toxic Avenger hits the fringe after a successful run in London’s Southwark Playhouse.
Despite going up 35 minutes later than planned, the show managed to pack a punch for the audience! The story follows Melvin (played by Mark Anderson), a geeky New Jersey boy who is in love with a local blind girl Sarah (played by Emma Salvo) and wants to win her heart by saving the town from the toxic waste that seems to be destroying everything in its path. Melvin seeks out the mayor (played by Natalie Hope) and pin points her as the culprit and vows to tell the town. She uses her sexually persuasive powers to convince him otherwise and once he is out of her sight she sends her two thugs to ‘take care’ of him. The two thugs (played by Che Francis and Oscar Conlon-Morrey) rough poor Melvin up and throw him into a pipe of toxic waste transforming the measly boy into a grotesque mutant. He saves the helpless Sarah from the very same thugs who attack her and she falls head over heels for the newly named ‘Toxie’.
This is a silly hour and 15 minutes that has 5 talented performers who give it everything they have with powerful vocals and a rock and roll score! It’s a cross breed between Little Shop of Horrors and Urine Town and has some pretty funny one liners at times. I would say that throughout the music was so loud and over powering that I couldn’t hear a lot of what the performers were singing about which wasn’t great but over all if you’re looking for something that will give you a whirlwind experience then The Toxic Avenger is for you.