Tag: Musical

BALLS at New York Comic Con: The Voices of Ash Ketchum and Professor Oak Reunite!

Balls at New York Comic Con is bringing back the Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy with a special panel, after party, and a final Caveat NYC performance. Fans can catch Pokémon legends Veronica Taylor and Stuart Zagnit live, along with plenty of surprises.

Promotional poster for Balls at New York Comic ConAnyone who missed the Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy over the summer will get another chance with BALLS at New York Comic Con. Technically, the entire performance will be after this event, but it’s safe to say some moments will be offered during this bigger convention.

This celebration of pop culture is right around the corner! We recommend planning a ten-day trip to make the most of the experience (or you can read our review here). One weekend can be spent enjoying this convention and the party afterwards, but during the days leading up to a full show at Caveat NYC, to tour the spots where Ghostbusters and Night at the Museum filmed can help fill the time.

There is a panel featuring Veronica Taylor and Stuart Zagnit (the original voices of Ash Ketchum and Professor Oak from “Pokémon: The Series”) reuniting for an exclusive appearance, and the day promises to be big! In what’s promised is a Q&A with the fans, interactive monster battles, and exclusive merch giveaways! This panel will take place Friday October 10th at 8:30pm at the Javits Center, followed by a special AFTER PARTY at Sugar Mouse NYC: (Tix avail here.)

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Top 10 Nerdy Must-See Picks of Vancouver Fringe Festival 2025

From immersive experiments to meta-theatre and surreal solarpunk visuals, these picks are a geek’s ideal ticket to the Vancouver Fringe Festival 2025.

Vancouver Fringe Festival 2025Runs Sept 4 to 14th, 2025.

Not many acts from the Victoria Fringe Festival are heading to Vancouver Fringe Festival 2025, but that’s no reason to skip it! When most live theatre acts examine the “game of life,” letting us explore the human condition through the safe lens of an observer, what’s presented are often eye-opening in more ways than one!

Solo shows, a hallmark of Fringe, make this exchange especially powerful—raw, intimate, and deeply personal. Unlike film, which often leans on escapism, Fringe thrives on honesty. Other forms of theatre will vary, but ultimately, when we can connect with the story, the meaning isn’t hidden; it’s right in front of us, asking us to feel, reflect, and engage.

Over the years, I’ve seen countless performances that deserve standing ovations. Many artists return with fresh material or clever twists on familiar acts, and that’s part of what keeps me coming back. Although one performer missed the lottery for my local Fringe, he’s thankfully back at Terminal City. This individual has consistently stood out, earning a spot in my top ten yet again. I won’t reveal their name just yet, but longtime readers may already recognize the work—newcomers will have fun seeing if they can guess who it is.

This year’s picks are presented in alphabetical order. These links go to ticket purchases and showtimes.

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Juicy Woo Woo! A Mind-Bending Cosmic Cabaret at Victoria Fringe 2025

In what makes John Sobol’s Juicy Woo Woo – the UFO Cabaret – unique is that he’s up to date with the latest facts, theories and disguises. And he encourages everyone to look at the facts too!

juicy woo woo
Remaining Shows Aug 26 8:00 pm

Some conspiracies about the alien agenda lean into Juicy Woo Woo! territory—and if John Sobol has any say, that’s exactly where he wants to lead us. As a storyteller and musician, he mixes UFO lore, pop culture, and cosmic musings into a 60-minute journey that moves from fear to acceptance. With his show, he wants audiences to feel they are in the experience. Here, they also get caught up in the latest reports too.

There are no cameos from the jazz greats I usually spin, but I swear Pharoah Sanders might have heard the call.Anything tied to cosmic consciousness or “The One” could appear, though that might overwhelm a casual Fringe crowd. As for the Lemurians of Mt. Shasta or why some people live in a shared bubble, that depends on which studies you trust.

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Why Balls Monster Catchin Musical is an Irresistible Must-Catch Show

From catchy numbers to pop culture winks, Balls Monster Catchin Musical delivers a wild ride for theatre fans and Pokémon lovers alike.

Balls Monster Catchin Musical Comedy PosterOfficial Website

It’s safe to say BALLS The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy will be back following its return engagement over the summer. This show—sometimes referred to online as Balls Monster Catchin Musical for search ease—blends Pokémon-inspired parody, campy fun, and full-on musical theatre energy. Created by Brandon Zelman and Harrison Bryan, it’s become a cult hit! With a cast that knows exactly how to play to the fans, it’s less Sesame Street and more Fraggle Rock meets Saturday morning cartoons. When the latter half bursts with Collectabuddies moments, the passion is unmistakable—and I’m sure Satoshi Tajiri, the franchise’s creator, would love it too. I’d even like to see the show perform in Japan, Pokémon’s birthplace.

Failing that, there’s always Bellevue, Washington—home to The Pokémon Company International HQ. The most likely option? A streaming release. This quirky show premiered April 18–19, 2025, at Caveat on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and returned over the summer, charming both nerds and theatre fans.

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Fantasia Film Festival 2025 More Epic Picks of Must Sees!

When Fantasia Film Festival is the place to be for films old and new set within the genre of speculative fiction, it’ll have a bit of everything for everyone to enjoy, and this list considers them all!

Fantasia Film Festival 2025 Movie PosterWith the complete list of films and shorts fully announced, the 2025 edition of Fantasia Film Festival has a terrific selection of films to get fans of Asian cinema buzzing. That’s because anyone fresh from seeing STRANGE TALES: LAN RUO TEMPLE aka Curious Tales of a Temple (as Light Chaser Animation lists it) can see a revisionist version of “Nie Xiaoqian” with a cinematic presentation of Chinese Ghost Story 3 (Aug 3)

Even though that means racking up tons of air miles points to fly from China to Montreal, it might be easier to rent the film originally made in 1991. But then, one would miss out on seeing The Battle Wizard (July 20th), a fun Shaw Brothers Studio production considered by many a cult work.

With those two works said, the following remaining films make my list of must-see this hot summer season.

Queens of the Dead
Aug 02

Queens of the Dead Movie PoserIt’s Easter in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and a different resurrection is at hand. Dre (LOVE LIES BLEEDING breakout Katy O’Brian) is putting on a warehouse drag show, trying to deal with her lead performer’s last-minute cancellation, among other problems. One that she never could have imagined is a zombie apocalypse breaking out in her neighbourhood, which besieges her and her team while her wife Lizzy (Riki Lindhome, THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW), a nurse at a local hospital, tries to dodge the flesh-eating hordes and get across town to Dre. As the trapped party crew deal with various interpersonal issues—most notably the sudden return of Sam, a.k.a. Samoncé (Jaquel Spivey, MEAN GIRLS), some time after abandoning Dre and her show at a crucial moment—they’re forced to resolve their differences and band together and survive.

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Catch the Hype! BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy Returns!

Unlike Ash in Pokémon who travels the world to show his passion, hopefully BALLS, a Fringe-theatre like production, will do the same!

BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical ComédyPokémon is not the only beloved franchise that concerns training pets to engage in gladiatorial duels for their masters. Although that sounds bad, that’s because of how that society developed, and there are other games like Yu-gi-oh and Digimon that are variations on a theme. To see that passion for this world in live-action, fans should check out BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comedy.

It’s back by popular demand for a summer residency at Caveat. This theatre house in lower Manhattan is the hub for many home brew shows! However, it should be noted that they are better known for hosting independently produced acts. This show is called “equal parts satire, chaos, and heart, starring Broadway talent and Pokémon legend Stuart Zagnit (Professor Oak!), with 8-bit bops, improvised battles, surprise guests, and a splash of interactive madness. Think Pokémon meets UCB meets a very weird fever dream!” 

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