"Toxic Avenger: The Musical" @ Stumptown Stages

"Toxic Avenger: The Musical" is the most fun I've had in months. Other shows in recent memory have had their moments, but even the most recent comedy I've seen had dark elements. "Toxic Avenger" has violence-galore, but it is cartoonish and schlocky, much like the movie from which it takes its inspiration. Normally I'm a fan of darker themed shows, but lately I've wished the theatre-scene would lighten-up just a bit. I did not stop laughing through the whole show. They even managed some cripple-humor, with a number dedicated to the advantages of possessing a "marketable handicap." The cast and creators never use the cheesiness of the material as an excuse for the quality of the lyrics or singing-quality to dip. It is so, so much fun, and in ways you wouldn't expect, like seemingly ceaseless cross-dressing. It's just fantastic, I can not recommend it more highly.