Final Casting Announced for THE TOXIC AVENGER THE MUSICAL

Final casting is announced today for the transfer to the Arts Theatre of the acclaimed rock musical, The Toxic Avenger The Musical.

Following a sold-out UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse, when it received 6 Off West End Award nominations including Best Musical, The Toxic Avenger The Musical will play the Arts Theatre for a strictly limited 10-week season from Thursday 28 September.

Prior to the London season, the production will get its Scottish premierre wilth a month-long run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Press night: Monday 2 October at 7.00pm.

Joining Mark Anderson, who returns after starring to great acclaim as Melvin/Toxie in the original London production, are: Natalie Hope, Emma Salvo, Oscar Conlon-Morrey and Ché Francis with Peter Bindloss and Sophia Lewis as swings/understudies.

Based on Lloyd Kaufman's cult 1984 comedy schlock-horror Troma film, The Toxic Avenger, The Toxic Avenger The Musical tells the story of the citizens of Tromaville who are crying out for a hero. Enter nerdy Melvin Ferd the Third, an aspiring earth scientist, determined to clean up the state's major toxic waste problem. When a corrupt Mayor and her government goons get wind of his plans, they vow to stop this heroic feat. Melvin is attacked and tossed into a vat of toxic waste... transforming him instantly into The Toxic Avenger - New Jersey's first superhero! Toxie is a 7-foot mutant freak with superhuman strength and a supersized heart to match. His aims are to save heavily polluted New Jersey, end global warming, win the heart of the prettiest (blindest) librarian in town - and get home in time for dinner! Prepare to laugh, scream and sing to songs including 'Who Will Save New Jersey?" "Get the Geek", "Thank God She's Blind" "Hot Toxic Love" and "Choose Me, Oprah!" as 'Toxie' rocks the house and saves the day!

Mark Anderson (Melvin/Toxie)
Previous theatre includes: The Toxic Avenger The Musical (Southwark Playhouse); Stiles & Drewe's Three Little Pigs (International tour); The Book of Mormon Original West End cast (Prince of Wales Theatre); Love Me Tender (National tour); Once Upon A Mattress (Union Theatre); Legally Blonde (National tour); Mary Poppins (National tour); Hello, Dolly! (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre); The Boy Friend (West End); You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Tabard Theatre).

Natalie Hope (Mayor)
Previous theatre includes: Sweet Charity (Manchester Royal Exchange); Legally Blonde (Leicester Curve Theatre); The Commitments (Palace Theatre, West End); Our House (Savoy Theatre, West End); Sister Act (UK tour); Evita (UK tour); Disney's High School Musical (UK tour); Fame (Shafesbury Theatre, West End and UK tour); Don't Stop Believing (UK tour); Rocky Horror Show (UK tour); Laughter in the Rain (UK tour); Beyond the Barricade (UK tour).

Emma Salvo (Sarah)
Previous theatre includes: Holy Crap (King's Head Theatre), Grease (Royal Caribbean), Newsrevue (Canal Cafe Theatre), Sincerely, MR Toad (UK tour).

Oscar Conlon-Morrey (White Dude)
Oscar has just graduated and is making his professional debut.

Ché Francis (Black Dude)
Ché has just graduated and is making his professional debut.

The Toxic Avenger The Musical is the brainchild of the Tony Award-winning creative team behind the smash hit West End musical Memphis, Joe DiPietro and David Bryan, an original founding member and keyboardist/vocalist for rock giants, Bon Jovi.

Creative team: Director: Benji Sperring. Musical Director: Alex Beetschen. Designer: takis. Lighting Designer: Nic Farman. Choreographer: Lucie Pankhurst. Sound Designer: AnDrew Johnson.,

Produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Derek Nicol and Paul Walden for Flying Entertainment.

Performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) Limited.

Joe DiPietro - Book and Lyrics

Joe's Broadway and West End hit Memphis won the Tony Award for Best Musical and two additional Tony Awards (Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score Music and Lyrics Written for the Theatre (with David Bryan). Joe was born and raised off Exit 166 in New Jersey and thus has been a Toxic Avenger fan for the last 20 years. Joe wrote the book & lyrics to I LoveYou, You're Perfect, Now Change, the longest-running musical revue in New York history which has had hundreds of productions across the country and around the world. He also wrote the book and lyrics to the Broadway musical All Shook Up, and the award-winning musical, The Thing About Men, which has played internationally. He lives in Manhattan and Connecticut, but his heart will always be in New Jersey.

David Bryan - Music & Lyrics

David is a Keyboard Player and Founding Member of the hit band Bon Jovi. He is also a Singer/Songwriter Composer, Lyricist and Programmer. David Bryan lives near Exit 109 on the Garden State Parkway. He was conceived, born and raised in New Jersey. As a young man, he saw The Toxic Avenger movie at a midnight showing in Newark, and from that day on, he dreamed of writing a musical about the first mutant superhero from his home state. This show is a fulfllment of that dream. David has accomplished some other stuff, too. Bon Jovi are one of the most successful bands in music history. They've sold over 130 million records worldwide, performed more than 2,600 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans, and were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006. They've survived and thrived the rock and roll years, the grunge years, the rap years and everything in between. For more info on David, visit www.DavidBryan.com.

Benji Sperring (Director)

Recent directing credits include: Holy Crap (King's Head Theatre), How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (Wilton's Music Hall), The Stripper (St James' Theatre), The Toxic Avenger The Musical (Southwark Playhouse), Shock Treatment (King's Head Theatre). He was recently appointed an Associate Director of the King's Head Theatre, Islington.

Lloyd Kaufman, creator of The Toxic Avenger

Lloyd is co-founder, with Yale friend Michael Herz, of the 42-year-old legendary Troma Entertainment, arguably the longest-running independent movie studio in North America. He directed many of Troma's feature films, including The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke 'Em High, Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD, TRomeo & Juliet and Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.

For more information visit www.artstheatrewestend.co.u or www.toxicavengermusical.co.uk.

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