CD review: 'The Toxic Avenger Musical'

If pressed to rifle off a list of topics occupying the forefront of the public consciousness, most of us would probably include superheroes, the environment and corrupt politicians (I know I would).

Fortunately for the arts-conscious folks out there, those topics -- along with violence, sex and a heaping helping of Jersey jokes -- have all been thrown together in a vat of chemical waste to create "The Toxic Avenger Musical," a relentlessly entertaining show currently boasting an off-Broadway run and an original cast recording now out through Time Life.

Inspired by Lloyd Kaufman's cult classic 1985 film, "The Toxic Avenger Musical" had its live debut last fall at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick. Co-written by Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" author Joe DiPietro, the show is now playing at the New World Stages in New York City.

As in the film, the musical is set in the fictional locale of Tromaville, NJ and centers on Melvin, a much-bullied nerd who is thrown into a vat of toxic waste and transformed into the Toxic Avenger, a crime-fighting superhero.

You don't need me to tell you here that the show is very good; for that, you can check out my review from when it played in New Brunswick, or you can take the three Drama Desk Award nominations, two Drama League Award nominations and two Outer Critics Circle nominations as proof enough.

Now that the original cast recording is out, what all the Toxie, Bon Jovi and Lloyd Kaufman fans out there probably want to know is how good the disc is.

Well, "The Toxic Avenger Musical" and its accompanying CD are fine examples of the art of the rock ‘n' roll musical, and that's no faint praise. For every rock musical that works, there are many, many more that don't.

It is, after all, a rather tricky art form. Rock too much and you risk alienating theatrical types. Lean too strongly on the musical side of things and rock fans will be hesitant to embrace a show. And finding performers who can act while being vocally convincing in the disparate realms of rock ‘n' roll and the Great White Way is another challenge in its own right.

Fortunately, "The Toxic Avenger Musical" is a success, and the proof is now on disc for all to hear. Some tunes, such as the show-starting "Who Will Save New Jersey?" progress the story while having you tapping your toe and laughing at the same time. (The song describes Tromaville thusly: "A place between heaven and hell, don't need a map, just follow the smell.")

On the softer side of things, the show also boasts a great pair of power ballads, "Hot Toxic Love" and "You Tore My Heart Out," which would sound pretty much right at home being performed by Bryan's full-time band -- although it would be a bit strange to hear Jon Bon Jovi croon lines like "I've torn some arms off, I've torn some heads off, I've behaved quite violently," from "You Tore My Heart Out."

In my review of the show from last October, I wrote that "if the show does have a stumbling block on its way to greater success, it's that it is so very Jersey. Packed to the gills with Jersey jokes (‘If the pollution doesn't get you, the aroma will') and shots at Garden State politics ... it's hard to tell if audiences outside of our state will ‘get' the show as much as the crowds in New Brunswick."

Well, that shows how much I know. The show has gone on to be a hit across the Hudson, and now boasts even more Jersey jokes -- many of which are contained in "Jersey Girl." Sung by the state's villainous governor, the song wasn't part of the show's New Brunswick run, and it contains a couple of Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi references that frankly fall flat.

However, the jokes that don't work are the exception, not the norm. For the most part, "The Toxic Avenger Musical" is a funny, entertaining, even charming experience that wowed ‘em in Jersey, is currently winning over "the beautiful conceited people of Manhattan" (as they're labeled in the show) and is now available on CD. Whether you're a theater fan, a Bon Jovi acolyte, a horror fiend or a New Jersey resident with a sense of humor, you should give this a listen.