If anyone ever wished there was a little more singing and dancing in their super-villain stories, Dr. Horrible is here to remedy that.
Brought directly to computer screens everywhere by the creator of shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is a new kind of musical. One that doesn’t suck.
Dr. Horrible, played by Neil Patrick Harris, is just a regular guy trying to make a difference in the world, which would be so much better if he just ruled it. He also has aspirations to join The Evil League of Evil and talk to his crush, Penny, that he sees twice a week at the Laundromat but has yet to speak to.
All this would be much easier if it weren’t for his arch-nemesis, the town’s favorite superhero, and resident self-absorbed cheese ball, Captain Hammer.
The story is well-written and reason enough to watch. But with the addition of the funny, yet also endearing, musical numbers and the ability to watch it free online, there is no reason to miss the one blog that will have audiences singing along.
“I like it because of the awkwardness. It’s not the typical superhero story,” Leah Islam, a computer science and math freshman, says.
Islam found out about Dr. Horrible through the “intarwebz,” and while she says she loves the show for its awkwardness, it might also have something to do with the musical aspect.
“I love musicals,” Islam admits. “They complete me.”
Released in three acts on the Web, the show can be either downloaded on iTunes, where it has dominated the download charts for weeks, or watched for free, with limited commercial interruptions, on www.drhorrible.com.
The show clocks in at about 40 minutes total, which is short enough for most college students’ limited attention spans. Also there’s a character named Bad Horse, the thoroughbred of sin, and a musical number in the Laundromat. That should be enough to get anyone watching.
Reach the reporter at lana.burke@asu.edu.
