BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy is a sharply written, detail-packed parody musical built for viewers who know the monster-catching world inside out. Its cast features 151 legally distinct creatures, while its jokes examine familiar parts of the Pokémon universe that become increasingly strange when taken literally.
The off-Broadway production played in New York City, where it developed a following through its energetic performances and audience interaction. The show is now available online, giving fans outside New York a chance to experience its chaotic brand of musical comedy from home.
Two familiar voices join the cast
Stuart Zagnit, the original voice of Professor Oak, has a starring role as the production’s professor figure. The online version also features Veronica Taylor, the original voice of Ash Ketchum, playing an audience-participation character described as a “10-year-old kid”.
That interactive element is central to the live show and cannot be reproduced perfectly in a recording. To make the online cut work without directly naming the franchise it parodies, director and co-writer Brandon Zelman edited out those references and used bleeps instead. The approach also made it possible to combine footage from different performances while encouraging viewers to imagine their own names for the monsters.
A bootleg with its own visual identity
Rather than simply document the stage production, Zelman expanded the digital version with hundreds of hand-drawn animations, cartoons and special effects. Monster attacks received new visuals, transformations were created with frame-by-frame rotoscoping, and VHS-style artefacts and low-poly pixel creatures add a deliberately ’90s feel.
The finished film combines material from 10 performances and more than 12 hours of footage recorded over six months. Continuity shifts between performances, but that unevenness suits the show’s deliberately frantic personality. The edit brings together favourite moments from every performance into one assembled version of BALLS.
Made with limited resources
The production did not have the budget for a full filming crew. The team used the Caveat theatre’s built-in camera system and supplied additional cameras to audience members, creating footage that captures the show from a first-person perspective.
Blending those camera angles and synchronising the large amount of audio became a major editing task for Zelman and Kurt Cruz, who plays the Pocket Pedia character and served as sound editor. The result is intentionally rough around the edges, but it also preserves some of the immediacy of being in the room.
For more coverage of unusual arcade, gaming and pop-culture projects, explore the RETROCADE arcade blog and browse the latest arcade videos.
More from the BALLS team
The creators say the online release is an important step towards making the show accessible beyond New York City. Their plans include releasing a live album in the new year, while a professional studio recording could follow if the project receives funding for microphones and recording time.
Until then, the online production offers a convenient way to sample a lovingly made parody musical that combines recognisable voice talent, audience participation and an unusually ambitious homemade edit. Fans inspired to bring more character-filled entertainment home can also compare the options in RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide, from full-size arcade cabinets to space-saving bartop arcades.
Leave a Reply