Captain America – known for his bravery, loyalty, and chivalry – is the catalyst for a parody show coming to Riverside Theatres soon; however, it wasn’t any of those noble attributes that inspired the performance.
‘MARVELous: The Show’ is a raunchy production parodying the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it all stemmed from one very important superhero feature.
“It started with Captain America’s ass, hence why we leaned into the risqué nature of the show,” said the show’s producer, director and occasional narrator Samwise Holmes.
“The first scene that got created was a parody of a song they sing in the first ‘Captain America’ movie called the ‘Star-Spangled Man with a Plan’.
“I created a parody version called the ‘Man with America’s Ass’, which is based on an in-joke from the last ‘Avengers’ film.”
The parody song involved a number of analogies describing the greatness of the Captain’s blue buns and spurred on subsequent ideas over the next five years, accumulating into a show involving acrobats, vocalists, dancers, and high-flying aerialists.
“All the parody and all the comedy is done with love for the franchise and for the characters,” Holmes explained.
“It’s a fun show that is created for fans of Marvel to enjoy, but we also incorporate a lot of other pop culture parody within it from things like ‘Dirty Dancing’, ‘The Greatest Showman’, ‘Magic Mike’, ‘Flashdance’, and so many different things.”
Thor, Black Widow, Deadpool, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and more will also be seen like never before during the satirical show, brought to life by incredible performers found during an extensive audition process.
“A single role might need comedy skills but also aerial straps, singing, adagio skills, and dance all combined,” Holmes stated.
“Every role has their own specialties too. We’ve got our lead vocalist, our aerial performers, our hip-hop dancers, we do some magic in the show, we’ve got such a wide range of different skills.”
All the skills are accentuated by the costuming.
“We’ve got an amazing wardrobe team that have put together incredible costumes,” Holmes praised.
“We had Maxine Muller, our costume designer and coordinator, who sourced everything, and Laura Cagnacci, who did an amazing job putting all of that together.”
Despite the hilarity of the production, Holmes said the focus was on creating a great show first and a Marvel parody second.
Award-winning designer Dan Porta created the stage design, James Wallis did the lighting, and Emma Wong choreographed the show.
“It’s been an exciting ride just seeing where we could take it and how far we can push the boundaries of what people would expect,” Holmes stated.
“We are so proud of the show we’ve put together and can’t wait to share it once again with Sydney.”
Whether you’re interested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or not, the show is bound to leave an impression.
“The number one thing we hear from audiences is that they couldn’t stop laughing or smiling and they had a great night out, and that’s such a warm feeling to know that we are creating that for people.”
Experience the rock-infused soundtrack and satirical stories at Riverside Theatres from March 14 to 22. Tickets range from $79 to $119 and can be purchased at Riverside’s online Box Office at https://riversideparramatta.com.au/whats-on/marvelous.
Ally Hall joined the team 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She is a graduate of the University of South Australia.