“Toxic Avenger: The Musical!” is hilarious, smart, and over the top!...The show has all the elements of a Broadway musical, with a sardonic twist…It reels in the audience until they are laughing uproariously at the lyrics and the antics of the unlikely hero and his friends…The entire ensemble comes together to make great music!

Jane Palmer, Omaha World Herald

The Blue Barn Theatre offers the uproarious world premiere of “Toxic Avenger: The Musical!” based on characters created by Lloyd Kaufman. Kevin Hayes composed the music and collaborated with Rob Urbinati to turn out some of the funniest lyrics ever sung on stage…Insanely comic singing and dancing accompany much of the action…A spook-spoofing exhibition that rivals the satirical fare of Mad Magazine and South Park!

Steve Eskew, The Reader

Witness the beginning of something special
The Toxic Avenger at the Blue Barn

Coined a comic for adults, the Toxic Avenger is loosely based on the films from Troma and characters created by Lloyd Kaufman. With book by Rob Urbinati and music by Kevin Hayes – both contributed lyrics – the musical begins in Tromaville, N.J., the Toxic Waste Dumping Capital of the United States, in the 1980s. Melvin (Max Sparber), a janitor with his ever present mop, is the target of the dimwitted town bullies, appropriately named Bozo (Shane Staiger) and Sluggo (Dominic Nila-Maxwell). In fact, the violence against the bespectacled Melvin escalates to a point where he’s tossed into a barrel of glowing toxic waste. And thus emerges Toxie (Hughston Walkinshaw), the barrel-chested, muscle-bound, handsome deficient superhero, who with his mop, sets about to clean up the town of corruption, most notably in the guise of Mayor Belgoody (Jerry Longe), and fall in love with the blind yet optimistic Sara (Nora Vetter).

The opening number “Little Town” is sung by the company and seems oddly reminiscent of “Belle” from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Whether that was a subconscious decision or not, it equals to all kinds of hilarity. Tromaville is a Disney creation but only in an alternative universe: The town smells, crime is rampant, and the girls are cheap and disease-ridden.

The reason I bring up Rocky Horror is because this show oozes with camp, so the acting is suitably over-the-top. And the show even has its own dance number – Toxic Stomp – that, much like “Time Warp,” could get fans to their feet and dancing along. (This is a show just crying out for repeated viewings and interactive lunacy.)

If there was an ideal cast, The Toxic Avenger has it. When we see Christine Schwery, she appears in rollers, makeup as applied by Mimi from the Drew Carey Show, and an incestuous attitude toward her socially inept son. If there’s something you can count on Schwery for it’s being an acting chameleon. She goes with whatever the part requires and always amazes.

Sparber looks like he’s faithfully watched Revenge of the Nerds and taken copious notes, because he’s got everything from the nervous hand gestures to the squeaky voice. (His song “Revenge” lets him voice his growing feelings of rage.) And he’s got a decent set of singing tools at his disposal.

Lindsay Lashier and Abbie McGahana are exceptional as Wanda and Julie, the ready-and-willing girlfriends of Sluggo and Bozo. With her purple shag wig and Joan Jett attitude, Lashier is the highlight of every scene she’s in. Whether she’s in the background or front and center, it’s impossible to stop watching her, because she never goes out of character, and it’s fun to see what “business” she has come up with. Having had the pleasure of seeing her in two shows at the Playhouse – The Elephant Man and Stepping Out – I can say that she’s one you shouldn’t miss.

Hints of Vetter’s comedic abilities could be evidenced in From Shelterbelt with Love, where she played a kleptomaniac on a date, and as Sara she proves that it wasn’t a one-off performance. She’s perfectly paired with Walkinshaw and their scenes are some of the best in the show. Walkinshaw really embraces the challenges of playing an unconventional superhero and triumphs. You can’t go wrong when casting Longe, who seems to have drawn inspiration for his sleazy mayor from a used car salesmen. This show deserves a bucket load of nominations and, hopefully, awards when all of that rolls around again next year.

I wish I could get my hands on a cast recording of this show, because the songs really appealed to the 1980s chick in me. In fact, when I was indicating which songs I liked the best, I found that I was underlining most of them. “I’m Bad,” which the mayor sings and is reprised throughout the show, makes you want to sing it while you’re strutting around a room a la Mick Jagger but with a bit more soul. “So Strange” is a great song for the female cast members and I could probably listen to that chorus on a loop. “Monster in Our Midst” and “Why Not Me?” are also notable. If this show fizzles out once it leaves Omaha, I’ll be shocked. It is going to end up on off-Broadway. I have no doubts.

There are a lot of people – cultists if you will – that embrace this type of material. And it’s worth latching onto. The lyrics are so witty and funny, the music is instantly likeable, and the characters are ones you want to see more of. I’m all for a Toxic Avenger 2: The Musical continues. I mean where else are you going to find a musical that features decapitations, ripped off arms, day-glo breasts and a Nazi in a bikini? Heaven, that’s what I call this type of show.

The technical crew also shouldn’t escape the praise. The set by Bob Donlan, the costumes by Sharon Sobel and lighting design are imaginative. And how could you not thank Randall Stevens for giving us the Toxie Stomp? When I’m effusive about a show, I’m unrelenting. Not everyone in the cast is a recording contract ready singer, but across the board they are having so much fun that you can’t but leave the Blue Barn, knowing that you’ve seen the beginning of something special.

See it while you still can. It continues through Aug. 1 at the Blue Barn Theatre. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturdays. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors and $10 for TAG members. Call 345-1576 for reservations.

Julien R. Fielding, PerformanceOmaha.Com