‘Toxic Audio’ a celebration of vocal talent

Friday, Sept. 2, 2005 | 8:18 a.m.

"Toxic Audio" has quietly slipped into the Luxor for a three-month engagement, eschewing the grandiose arrival exhibited by the recent landing of "Avenue Q" at Wynn Las Vegas for a more subdued debut.

The off-Broadway production, a fun show that celebrates the human voice in an age dominated by electronics, premiered Aug. 19 and is scheduled for an extended engagement that continues through Nov. 16.

In a city where adult entertainment is pervasive, "Toxic Audio" can be enjoyed by the entire family. But the family shouldn't hang around too long after the 8 p.m. performance its new home is the Atrium Theatre, where it shares space with the topless production "Fantasy," a 10:30 p.m. show.

The five-member cast of "Toxic Audio" is an a cappella ensemble that was formed in Florida in 1998, where it performed at Disney/MGM Studios until moving to New York's John Houseman Theater in 2004, winning the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Experience.

Not only does the group sing a cappella, the members use their vocal cords to create a variety of sounds to enhance the singing, which includes everything from pop to jazz and hip-hop and to scat.

Using only their voices, they create percussion instruments, strings and horns. And sounds of the sea.

And horses galloping.

And toilets flushing.

And a record that alternates between going too fast, too slow and having the needle stuck in a groove.

There is plenty of humor (some of it improvised) during the evening, as well as good music.

One song begins in English then segues through a series of other languages and styles, including French, Korean, German, scat, Spanish, Japanese, Tagalog and even pig Latin.

In another bit the cast mimes channel surfing re-creating the sounds of theme songs from several TV series.

They take the name of Pat Boone and use it to produce a variety of intriguing sounds.

There is very little dialogue, even when volunteers are brought up to assist. They save their voices, mostly using mime to get their message across.

The show is kind of quirky, although not in the same league as the other eccentric show at the Luxor, "Blue Man Group."

"Blue Man" is scheduled to exit the Luxor in mid-September and debut at the Venetian Oct. 1. It will be replaced by another quirky production, the Broadway show "Hairspray," which will premiere in November.

Perhaps entertainment executives at MGM Mirage (new owner of the Luxor) brought "Toxic" in so the venue can hold onto fans of quirkiness during the transition period between the departure of "Blue Man" and the arrival of "Hairspray."

While "Toxic" is enjoyable, and the $40-ticket price affordable, producers have wisely limited the production to slightly more than an hour.

A little a cappella and tricks with the vocal cords go a long way.

"Toxic Audio" essentially is a novelty act and once the novelty wears off the show is in danger of becoming tedious and boring, in spite of the humor.