THE PLAY: This musical is based on the B-movies from Troma about a nerd who gets dunked in a vat of toxic slime and becomes a mutant pollution-fighting hero.

 

THE PRODUCTION: Debra Wagoner and Alexander Sapp are 2 of RVA’s most talented actors and they both shine in these showcase roles. Sapp creates a continually sweet, funny character as the Avenger. Wagoner’s spot-on timing and madcap style shine in every scene, esp. the show-stopping duet she does with herself! Rachel Rose Gilmour rounds out the trio with another finely-tuned comic performance. The two “Dudes” (Chris Hester & William Anderson) provide plenty of deranged fun as a variety of characters. The uniformly spectacular voices add extra heft…almost every number feels like a show stopper. Musical director Starlet Knight’s tight band makes the music even hotter. Over-the-top camp can be a mess in the wrong hands, but director Keith Fitzgerald has staged the deranged merriment with sloppy precision and lots of clever bits, while Emily Dandridge’s zany choreography contributes to the merriment. Of course, the design should be funky and ratty and TJ Spensieri junkyard set works, although the graffiti could have been more attractive. Erin Barclay’s lighting added colorful elements (but those follow spots need to be better coordinated) and the costumes by Sheila Russ make for even more visual delight. Running time: 2:08

 

THE POINT: This superb cast excels at the campy, comically-gruesome fun to create the most raucous hilarity you’ll see in a theatre this summer!

 

(5 / 5)

 

A 5th Wall Theatre production at The Basement thru 7/30