'Toxic Avenger' musical features campy 1980s music, production Theater review: 'The Toxic Avenger' features campy '80s music, production hammer

"The Toxic Avenger," presented by Fifth Wall Theatre

At: The Basement, 300 E. Broad St.

Through: July 30

Tickets: $32 ($15 for students)

Info: www.5thWallTheatre.org

It's summer in Richmond, which means it's time for another wacky production based on a B-movie favorite, one that played for years as a midnight show.

This time, it's the 2008 musical "The Toxic Avenger" by Joe DiPietro (who wrote "Memphis" and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change") and David Bryan (of Bon Jovi, who co-authored "Memphis"). The movie was the 1984 science fiction comedy of the same name by Lloyd Kaufman and Joe Ritter, and it's simplified by DiPietro and Bryan for the musical stage version.

Melvin is a nerdy weakling who lives with his mom in Tromaville, N.J. Vats of toxic waste have appeared in town, and he decides to find out who's responsible. Researching at the library, he meets Sarah the Blind Librarian (yep, that's the character's name) and falls in love.

She doesn't reciprocate, but she does point him to records showing that the mayor runs a company that's brought in drums of waste from Manhattan. After various altercations, Melvin ends up in one of those drums, and he's transformed into a hideous (but superhumanly strong) creature, the Toxic Avenger. (Sarah, believing him to be a French dreamboat, calls him Toxie.)

More or less in the vein of "Little Shop of Horrors," the show proceeds with lots of goofy comedy and songs of its period, which in this case is 1980s rock. A small but intrepid onstage band propels the music, and the cast of five works incredibly hard, dazzling us with virtuoso singing and hilarious characterizations.

Alexander Sapp plays the title character, energetic and endearing as both Melvin and Toxie, and Rachel Rose Gilmour is hilarious as the dim and self-involved Sarah. Debra Wagoner does yeoman's work as both Melvin's mom and the mayor, and she is dazzling.

William Anderson and Chris Hester play all the other roles - and there are dozens - creating a variety of characters, from cops to thugs, in and out of drag. These are five amazing singers, well served by Joey Luck's great sound design, Starlet Knight's hard-driving musical direction and Emily Dandridge's humorous choreography.

TJ Spensieri's black-plastic-and-graffiti set is amusing, and Sheila Russ has designed scads of great costumes, many of which require lightning-fast changes.

Barry Green provides imaginative props, and Erin Barclay's lighting is good but perhaps relies too heavily on follow spots that aren't always on cue.

Keith Fitzgerald directs with enthusiasm and a great sense of fun, but he doesn't solve all the show's pacing problems. Some of the quick changes aren't quick enough. Many of the songs go on too long; there are some lackluster digressions, and the ending meanders for a while. This production absolutely earns about 90 minutes of love and delight, but at two hours running time, it starts to wear out its welcome before it's done.

Susan Haubenstock is a Henrico County-based freelance writer and editor. Contact her at susan.haubenstock@gmail.com.