The lights shut off, the music swells and out of nowhere, a giant roar catches everyone’s ears.  Silence and darkness fail to suppress the crowds’ eagerness and slight fear.  The music returns and out of the intensely filled darkness, two men and a nun from New Jersey come.  Smoke fills the stage as they begin to sing.

The Toxic Avenger, playing now at the New World Stages, was captivating with its humor and romance.  It takes place in current Tromaville, Exit 13B on the New Jersey Turnpike.  Melvin Ferd the Third begins as an unattractive geek in Tromaville.  Melvin is deeply in love with Sarah, the kind, blind but extremely attractive librarian.  Melvin is determined to fix up the polluted New Jersey for Sarah and he finds out that the Mayor, Babs Belgoody (also Ma Ferd), is behind all of the pollution.  Madame Mayor sends two men (who play just about everything else in the show) off to kill Melvin.  The two men drop Melvin in a vat of toxic waste and Melvin survives! Melvin is even more unattractive facially but body-wise, he is a hunk!  He then saves Sarah from the two men.  Sarah falls in love with ‘Toxie’ the new Melvin and loves his inner beauty.  Melvin’s mother does not care that he is ugly, but just wants grandchildren. Throughout the entire show (which has no intermission) The Toxic Avenger keeps you entertained and on the edge of your seat with a need to keep the show going!

The Mayor discovers that a hideous green monster is terrorizing the town and figures out Toxic’s ‘kryptonite’. The Mayor is determined to destroy the Toxic Avenger but he isn’t going down without a fight! When Sarah finds out that Toxie is Melvin, just ugly and oozy, she goes into denial and breaks up with Toxie. Melvin’s mother comes and convinces Sarah that she does love him and that she is the only hope for stopping Melvin’s vicious and vain rampage. The songs emphasizes many points during the show to intensify the feelings of joy, sadness or a new realization.

The show is altogether wonderful and I honestly enjoyed it. There is a bit more-than-mild language and I recommend it for ages 13+.  It was very cool to see that a cast of only 5 people, 2 understudies and a music cast of 4 could put on such a wonderful and entertaining show.  After the show I managed to talk to the kind cast and snag a couple autographs.  It is a must-see off-Broadway show with laughs, heartaches, revenge and love.  All-in-all, a two thumbs up!