The Pokemusical at Theatre Asylum

A satirical musical based on the Pokemon animé and games, the Pokemusical was more than I ever expected! There is definitely a reason why it was named Best Musical of the Hollywood Fringe Festival this year. I was a bit wary coming here, especially because I was never the biggest fan of Pokemon (I watched a few episodes but that was it) but I was able to follow along and get most of the jokes. I also love live musical performances, and this one was so much fun!
The entire cast was so great. Most of them played multiple characters and they were all so good with their voices, sound effects, and facial expressions. My favourite was of course Pikachu, played by Kelsey Schulte. She was hilarious and so great at expressing Pikachu’s various feelings despite only being able to say variations of «Pika» and «Pikachu». Mitchell Webb is the Ensemblist who I loved the most – he is SO good with facial expressions and voices! Amazing. Another favourite was Jamie Mills, who played Jessie in addition to Ash’s mother. But really, they were all amazing. The entire cast that night (in addition to the three I already mentioned) were Jacqueline Lopez, Ben Burch, Tyler Ledon, Peyton Crim, Josh Hillinger, Steve Greene, and Caleb Mills Stewart. Fantastic job everyone!
While the vocal talent is not on par with Broadway, the songs were still really fun and enjoyable. My favourite was definitely the Jigglypuff one, which they did to the tune of Pachelbel’s Canon in D. So good ;)
There are still tickets on Goldstar available, so definitely check them out if you have a chance :)

Got to catch em all! Got to catch em all! Got to catch em all!
POKEMON!
For those of you that have lived under a rock for the last decade, pokemon is the Japanese phenomenon that has taken over the hearts of millions of the children all over the world. I would have to say that Pikachu has become as iconic as other cartoon characters like Hello Kitty and Mickey Mouse.
So I found out about this musical through the Unilocal elite event. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it in. But as a true pokemon fan, I had to go.
First off, the theater asylum is like off off broad way. The theater is pretty dingy and personally I have seen high school venues look better. However, I’m here to review the musical.
The musical revolves around Ash, a 10 year old boy, who goes on a quest with his philosophical tragic pikachu. Seriously, she breaks into so many monologues, which I’m fine with. As for the other characters, they are all played amazingly. I love team Rocket and their antics. Furthermore, when Misty’s «sisters» come out, I could not stop cracking up.
I think my favorite part of the musical is the Jiggly puff acapella. :)
This musical definitely caters to the fans of the series and those familiar with the pokemon lore. However, even if you don’t know much about pokemon, its still a very fun musical that is well paced.
One of my main complaints is because the venue is small, all of the actors have to project and often times, you can’t hear what they are singing because either the drums were too loud or one singer would over sing the others.
Overall, it was a fun musical that manages to surprise us even with it’s low production values.
P. S. I don’t think I can see Pikachu the same way anymore. T_​T

So when I first heard about this play, I thought to myself, this sounds like a kiddy play. But… I was wrong! This was something that took me completely by surprise. The actors were all really good, broadway-​someday-​material.
I thoroughly enjoyed the play, especially the villains who stole the show. The music was also great, the girl on the piano was pretty amazing.
Without giving away anything, I would highly recommend going to see it for yourself

Who woulda thought a Pokemusical could be so entertaining!
When I first told my boyfriend that I signed us up to see a Pokemusical, he was very hesitant and didn’t want to go. Though I’m not a Pokemon or animé fan, because I love musicals my boyfriend agreed to go. At first we didn’t catch their humor and wanted to leave but as the show progressed I couldn’t stop laughing!
I was glad they added adult humor to the child show and all the characters played their roles perfectly. All their voices, actions, and expressions were just like the cartoon characters. Pikachu is soooo cute and I loveddd her role!
Theater Asylum is the size of a classroom with 100 seats or less so I didn’t expect much, but Surprisingly, all the actors/​actresses can sing very well.
Overall the show is worth watching. if Free.

Pika Pika! That’s Pikachu’s code word for Great Event!
My +1 and I had a lot of fun at The Pokemusical. Although, I have a feeling I had more fun than they did. I’m a big fan of Pokemon and watched all the cartoons as a kid. I never played the game though.
I liked the Pokemusical because it’s very similar to the cartoons! My favorite characters from Pokemusical were Team Rocket! They were so good, and the sounded just like their cartoon counterparts! It was like a blast to the past! «
This was my first time at Theatre Asylum. It was a great venue! I liked it because it was small enough that anywhere you sit is a good seat. There are about ten seats in each row, five rows.
It was great that Katie B scored us tickets for this! I would never have known they were performing without the heads up from her! It was a fun little date night!
Prepare for trouble!
Make it double!

Darnnit, my friend beat me to being the first to review this musical. Oh well, there’s no shame in being #3.
What a show! Upon entrance in this venue, I thought I was going to be disappointed. Being in a small 30± seat area with an extremely small stage, how could they put on a decent show? I was proved wrong! This was absolutely the best and most entertaining musical I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen my fair share of musicals on broadway and vegas. The script was hiliarous, and the acting was very impressive. They did Pokemon right. Anyone who watched a pokemon cartoon during that era would surely appreciate this charming and hilarious musical!
Any stars below 5 would not do this place justice. 5+ stars across the board.
* though it may not be GREAT for little kids because they do use some curse words. PG-​13

How would I describe this show?
It was like watching the South Park version of Pokemon. Pure awesomeness and full of laughter.
If you’ve watched the full 1^st season of Pokemon and liked the show, then you’ll definitely enjoy this musical.
It completely exceed my exceptions — a must watch for any age 18+ Pokemon fans.

I was pleasantly surprised by this musical rendition of my childhood TV show/​handheld game.
1.) They kept it campy and corny: I loved the crazy special effects. Charmander’s fire attack, and Squirtle’s delicious number will be on my mind for a while.
2.) They add some adult sophistication: I expected the adult humor. I was surprised by how well Pikachu progressed from her cutesy self to Shakespearean asides.
3.) The music was actually good! Everyone could sing, and the musicians could play!
4.) The side cast was awesome, with facial expressions, and body movements in character with the pokemon on the stick they were playing.
5.) The programs/​tickets were adorable!
I highly recommend this play for 18+ audiences who grew up watching/​playing Pokemon!

I expected something dorky and not in my age group.
Instead, I got something that was nostalgic, more adult, and related with my age. I loved how there were adult themes of how pokemon are treated that we never really thought about as kids. Additionally, the music was great and the story was fun and slightly different from the original story. Overall, a very fun experience and something I wish they had a tip jar for after the show. It was great!!! Check it out!

Grab life by the Pokéballs! I haven’t watched too much Pokémon, but Pikachu is undeniably cute so when the opportunity to check out a musical based on the characters from the original Pokémon animé and games came up via Unilocal,I jumped at the chance.
If you’re familiar with this area, you know that this is a small production on the Theatre Row stretch of Santa Monica. The small set is minimalist with two musicians playing the score and a fun cast of humans and Pokémon on sticks (although Pikachu is a very enjoyable live action character). It’s a heartfelt satire with lots of laugh out loud moments and just a bit of cussing (so this musical is more suited for adult audiences).
The singing is pretty good all around and the versatile ensemble rocked. I loved the facial expressions! Pikachu though was the highlight for me. Played by an actress wearing a yellow dress, Pikachu ears and red cheeks, Pikachu is both cute and utterly delightful… whether engaging in battle or eating marshmallows or spouting an occasion Shakespearean monologue.
Thank you Unilocal for the opportunity and thank you to the entire cast and crew for putting on such a fun musical!