Various The Toxic Avenger Musical (OSC)

• Who Will Save New Jersey?
• Jersey Girl
• Get the Geek
• Kick Your Ass
• My Big French Boyfriend
• Thank God She s Blind
• Big Green Freak
• Choose Me, Oprah!
• Hot Toxic Love
• The Legend of the Toxic Avenger
• Evil Is Hot
• Bitch/Slut/Liar/Whore
• Everybody Dies!
• You Tore My Heart Out
• All Men Are Freaks
• A Brand New Day in New Jersey
• You Tore My Heart Out (Bonus Track)

It seemed completely preposterous to turn The Toxic Avenger, the 1984 B-movie/stoner classic, into a successful off-Broadway musical, but the rave reviews the play has earned may even lead to Broadway in the future. If that seems impossible, well, some would probably have said the same about Urinetown and Avenue Q back in the day, both of which would win multiple Tony awards. The credentials are no less strong for Toxic Avenger—for a musical that constantly makes fun of New Jersey, it makes complete sense that Bon Jovi keyboardist/songwriter David Bryan would be behind the rock opera-tastic music and lyrics (also featuring several potshots at Bruce Springsteen). Joe DiPietro, writer of the wildly popular off-Broadway musical I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, co-wrote the lyrics as well as the book, with often intentionally awful rhyming schemes in homage to the B-movie aesthetic. The cast of singers includes Upright Citizens Brigade alum Sara Chase, seasoned Broadway veteran Nancy Opel (Urinetown, Evita), and Canadian newcomer Nick Cordero in the title role.

Abstract by Ethan Stanislawski