Dr. Horrible

Alexandra Centre

July 30, 2010

I am scared to post a review of this show. I haven't seen the original webcast and I know some geek is going to call me out on this. I know it.

If the lineup outside of this performance was any indication, people who already know the story are coming out for this one. For those of you who don't know, this play is based on a web film called Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which follows a wanna-be evil-doer named Dr. Horrible, his crush Penny and his confrontations with his nemesis, Captain Hammer.

The well-conceived storyline will be familiar to fans, there is nothing new here.

Dr. Horrible (Dave Elder) is great in the lead roll — inept and likeable as he should be. Captain Hammer (Bart Kwiatkowski) is funny, but a little heavy on the Jim Carry imitation. Penny (Shandra McQueen), well, she's just really quiet.

That's the central problem with this production. The music is too loud and the singing is too quiet — a significant issue for a musical where the plot is driven by the words you can't always hear.

That said, this is an enjoyable show. The concept of blurring lines between who and what is good and evil isn't deep, but it's interesting and touching. The performances are solid and the singing, when you can hear it, isn't too bad either. I don't know if fans of the original will like it, but for a newbie it was worth it.