As someone who loves both parodies and Pokémon, I knew I had to check out Balls: The Monster Catchin’ Musical Comedy when it debuted earlier this year in New York City. The show pokes fun at everyone’s favorite monster-catching phenomenon. And it does so with lots of nerdy references, lewd jokes, and love for the source material. And for those who missed it or can’t get enough of Balls, the show will have a panel at New York Comic Con.
What’s more, the New York Comic Con panel will feature appearances from original Pokémon voice actors Veronica Taylor and Stuart Zagnit. Taylor was the original voice of Ash Ketchum while Zagnit was the original voice of Professor Oak. And now, they’ll reunite to poke fun at their roles.
But hold your Ponyta, the official Pokémon voice actors talking about parodying Pokémon? If that’s not fascinating enough, Zagnit actually appears in Balls playing “The Professor,” a spoof of his Professor Oak role. So how did this come about?
In an interview with The Theatre Times (who’s that interviewer?? It’s me!), Zagnit explained how he ended up parodying his own Pokémon performance.
Ironically, Balls creators Brandon Zelman and Harrison Bryan cast a different actor to play The Professor. They figured that Zagnit would never do it, even though they’d worked with him before. Then when that actor dropped out, they reached out to Zagnit. He thought, “Well, seems like the universe is putting this in my direction.” And he signed on, describing the role as “kind of a wish fulfillment.”
As for how Balls has avoided the litigious lawyers over at Nintendo? “We had an opportunity, maybe a responsibility–both artistically and legally—to go as far from the original IP as possible while still keeping it familiar,” Bryan noted.
As such, Balls is protected under fair use and parody laws. It doesn’t use any of the original names or plot points from the show, games, or cards. This also gives it opportunities to get creative, with 151 “Collectabuddies,” a story from the rival’s perspective, and a ‘dex of original songs from Broadway composers.
You can catch a sneak peek of Balls at New York Comic Con on Friday, October 10th at 8:30pm. The panel will feature appearances from Zagnit and Taylor. Additionally, it will feature Balls creators Zelman and Bryan and cast members Rachel Parker and Teresa Attridge. According to a press release, the NYCC experience will also include a Q&A with fans, live musical performances, interactive monster battles, exclusive merch giveaways, and “big surprises.”
And if you get curious about wading into the tall grass of the show itself, you can catch a full performance of Balls the following week. The parody show returns to Caveat in NYC on October 17th at 6:30pm. Gotta ca- *ahem* collect all of those creatures!
Source: Press Release and The Theatre Times
