The Toxic Avenger – The Musical

Book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music and lyrics by David Bryan

Directed By Joel Guerrero Music Direction by David Schwartz

ON STAGE SEPTEMBER 13 – SEPTEMBER 29

Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 PM | Sundays at 2:00 PM

New Jersey’s first Superhero takes the stage in this monster of an award-winning comedy based on the classic cult film.

Based on Lloyd Kaufman’s cult film and winner of the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical.

The Toxic Avenger is a charming love story and laugh-out-loud musical that has it all: an unlikely hero, his beautiful girlfriend, a corrupt New Jersey mayor and two guys who play… well, everyone else … bullies, mobsters, old ladies and stiletto-wearing backup singers. With book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music and lyrics by David Bryan, the show also features the most memorable and unbelievable duet you’ll ever see on any stage.

Melvin Ferd, the Third, wants to clean up Tromaville, the most polluted town in New Jersey (just off Exit 13B on the Turnpike). Foiled by the mayor’s bullies, Melvin is dumped into a vat of radioactive toxic waste, only to reemerge as The Toxic Avenger, New Jersey’s first superhero. Affectionately known as Toxie, our new hero is a seven-foot mutant freak with superhuman strength and a heart as big as Newark. He’s out to save New Jersey, end global warming, and woo the blind librarian in town.

It’s a toxic love story with an environmental twist! The Toxic Avenger will leave audiences laughing in the aisles as it rocks the house. Featuring a wailin’ rock score, this comical musical has something for everyone to enjoy. DON’T MISS IT!

WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST

Andrew Bozzelli as Melvin & Toxie

He/Him

Andrew Bozzelli (Melvin/Toxie) is excited to make his SCTC debut in The Toxic Avenger! He’s an AMDA graduate and is based in the greater Philadelphia region. After a slight COVID detour, he graduated from Temple in May with dual finance and risk management degrees. He’s excited to have more time to do what he loves now and would like to thank Micaela for her support throughout the last 2 years. Recent credits: Assistant Director for Newsies (PCS); Danny Zuko, Grease (BToP); Buck, Bonnie, and Clyde (Media Theatre); C’s Prince/Wolf, Into the Woods (BToP); Nigel, Something Rotten! (BToP); Shakespeare, (PCS); Ens. U/S, The Little Mermaid (WST). IG: @andrew_bozzelli

Neena Boyle as the Mayor & Mother

She/Her

Neena was last seen on the SCTC stage as Judy in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and is so excited to be back! Select regional credits: Moon Over Buffalo, Hello, Dolly!, Into the Woods, The Sound of Music (Candlelight Theatre); Beirut (Casabuena Cultural Productions); Billy Elliot (BToP); King Lear (Bristol Riverside); Rocky (Walnut Street Theatre). BFA from UArts. Huge thanks to Joel, David, Meghan, and the whole team for this amazing opportunity! For Billy, my Hot Toxic Love, who finally got trapped into doing a musical with me; endless love, as always. www.neenaboyle.com

Shannon Sullivan as Sarah

She/Her

Shannon is excited to be making her SCTC debut! Recent: Without a Cue Production’s Slay and the City (Charlotte). Walnut Street Theatre Credits: A Christmas Carol (Belle & others), Beautiful (Cynthia, u/s), The Big Bad Bullysaurus (Terry Pterodactyl), and Two Bugs are Better Than One (Ann the Bee). Proud UArts alum. She thanks her family, friends, creative team and cast during this show.

William R. McHattie as Dude 1

He/Him

William, a local Philadelphia actor, is delighted to make his premier with South Camden Theatre Company! He has been seen around Philadelphia at the Arden, Broadway theatre of Pitman, Candlelight Theatre, Fever Dream, and the Walnut. He can also be seen playing rock and roll around the Philly/South Jersey Scene. Mkay I love you buh-bye!”

James Joseph Edward Jesberger Jr. – Guy 2

He/HIm

James Joseph Edward Jesberger Jr. but please call him Jimmy for short is excited to not only make his debut in a SCTC production but to also be back on stage; which many of us call home. Jimmy is a performance artist on and off stage, born and raised in Philly; “Represent!” He graduated from Arcadia with his BFA in Acting and decided that he must do everything that makes him feel at home. Over the last couple of years, Jimmy has been more on the Music Direction side, directing shows like Addams Family The Musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and Legally Blonde the Musical, but you can always see him running around all of Philly, with his best friends as he switches through many hats. Jimmy wants to thank his mom and friends for dealing with him. He’d also love to thank SCTC for bringing him on to be his true DUDE self and showing him that New Jersey may not be all that bad. Looking at you Ryan… Thank you all <3 Always A Touch of Change

August Fen Deluca – Stage Manager

They/Them

August is thrilled to be back with SCTC for another season. Some of their previous stage management credits include The Legend of Georgia McBride (SCTC), Who’s Holiday? (SCTC), and Heathers (Ritz Theatre, Oaklyn). They are a graduate of Camden County College’s theatre program and work as an early childhood paraprofessional during the day. August would like to thank their partner and family for all their support.

Meet the Director and the Playwright, Music & Lyricists

Mr. Joel Guerrero — Director

He/Him

Joel is originally from San Angelo, Texas, and has been a Philadelphia Actor/Director for 10+ years. This is his 3rd show as a director with SCTC. Previous works include Daphne’s Dive, and last season’s, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Joel first came to SCTC as an actor in The House of Blue Leaves. He thanks his wife, Colleen, for introducing him to such a wonderful company. Joel is honored to direct the premier musical here at South Camden Theatre Company!

Joe DiPietro, Book & Lyrics

Joe’s current Broadway 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 twenty 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. His plays include the Edgar Award-winning mystery, The Art of Murder, as well as the long-running hit comedy Over the River and through the Woods, which has had over a hundred productions around the world and is currently being developed into a feature film. He lives in Manhattan and Connecticut, but his heart will always be in New Jersey.

David Bryan, Music & Lyrics

Keyboard Player and Founding Member, Bon Jovi. Singer/Songwriter, Composer, Lyricist, and Programmer. David lives near Exit 109 off the Garden State Parkway. He was conceived, born, and raised in New Jersey. As a young man, he saw The Toxic Avenger 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. He is the keyboard player, songwriter, and a founding member of Bon Jovi. 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. On the band’s award-winning CD Have A Nice Day, David and Jon wrote the song Last Cigarette. David has also written and released a solo record, Lunar Eclipse (Rounder/Universal) an instrumental collection with a single vocal bonus track highlighting all of the aspects of his training and influences. David began a career as a composer and lyricist of musicals. The song, Memphis Lives In Me, is from his musical, MEMPHIS which recently won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. David also won a Tony for Best Orchestrations (with Daryl Waters) and Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) Written for the Theatre (with Joe DiPietro). David was a National Spokesperson for VH1’s Save The Music Program, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of music education in America’s schools. www.DavidBryan.com.

David Schwartz – Musical Director

He/Him

David A. Schwartz (Music Director) is so happy to be music directing at SCTC for the first time and returning to The Toxic Avenger, which he previously acted in as Dude 1! Previous music directing credits include Big Fish (Eastern University), Newsies (Players Club of Swarthmore), A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (Playcrafters of Skippack), Dreamgirls (Wilmington Drama League), A New Brain (Players Club of Swarthmore), and youth classes at the Walnut Street Theatre. He’s played piano in pit orchestras for Mary Poppins (Media Theatre), Matilda (Methacton Community Theatre), and Elf (Willow Manor Players). He previously worked as a Piano Accompanist/Music Coach for the musical theatre majors and minors at University of the Arts, where he graduated from with a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance. He’s also acted in shows such as Heathers (Prince Music Theatre, Regional Premiere), How to Succeed…(Candlelight Dinner Theatre), Merton of the Movies (Main Street Musicals), The Music Man (Ritz Theatre), The Producers (Broadway Theatre of Pitman), and Sweeney Todd (Broadway Theatre of Pitman). He’d like to thank his family and friends for their love and continued support.

Mackenzie Newbury – Choreographer

She/Her

Mackenzie holds a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She has lived and worked extensively in the DC, NYC, and Philadelphia regions. Until its recent closure, she taught tap at the University of the Arts. She is an award-winning dance competition choreographer in the Musical Theater category and assistant choreographed a production of Silence: the Musical which won the Washington, DC regional theatre award for Best Choreography. Favorite choreography credits include Grease, Young Frankenstein, and Mamma Mia. As a performer, her favorite roles include Sally Bowles (Cabaret, Candlelight Theatre), Ulla (The Producers, Bucks County Center for the Performing Arts), Fiona (Shrek, Allenberry Playhouse), Lois/Bianca (Kiss Me Kate, Broadway Theatre of Pitman with director Joel Guerrero) and Linda Mason (Holiday Inn, the Levoy Theatre) as well as Maria (Sound of Music), Elle (Legally Blonde), Mallory/Avril (City of Angels), Nellie (South Pacific) and more! She is a recent transplant to New Jersey and is grateful to Joel, Dawn, and everyone at South Camden Theatre Company for the opportunity to work in a new space. You can take tap lessons from Mackenzie @_MTKenzie on YouTube and find out more about her at www.Mackenzie-Newbury.com.

Hunter Mountz – Lighting Designer

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Hunter is a Philadelphia-based theatre and dance lighting designer whose previous design credits include The Lightning Thief (Triple Threat Theatre Company), Who’s Holiday (South Camden Theatre Company) Into the Woods, The Laramie Project, Bedroom Farce (Salem State University) Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia! , The SpongeBob Musical (Panthers-on-Parade) Dare to Dream, and When Worlds Collide (SSU Repertory Dance Theatre). Hunter also received the Excellence in Lightning Design award from the 2021 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Pam Staley – Props

She/Her

Pam is delighted to be working in theatre with her friend Dawn Varava here at SCTC. Her past experiences included managing props and all things backstage for Dawn during many of her school productions. She has been jumping in to help SCTC be the best we can be for the last several shows.

Louise Gareau – Costume Designer

She/Her

Louise recently joined SCTC’s creative team after working as a costumer for her daughter’s music teacher’s productions. She’s delighted to be spreading her wings with our work on stage, and she couldn’t have picked a better show to do so.