WILMINGTON — Downtown Wilmington will become “ani-mane-y” and “totally insane-y” in March.
The Murphy Theatre will be hosting famed voice actors Maurice LaMarche and Rob Paulsen, along with composer and musician Randy Rogel, on March 1 for “Animaniacs Live.”
Both LaMarche and Paulsen have been in showbusiness for over 40 years voicing a variety of characters on different shows. In “Animaniacs,” LaMarche and Paulsen voiced “Pinky” and the “Brain” – two mice trying to take over the world. Paulsen also voiced Yakko Warner – one of the three Warner siblings.
Among the other characters they’ve voiced, respectively: Paulsen has voiced two of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in two separate shows, Carl Wheezer in “Jimmy Neutron,” and various “Joes” in “G.I. Joe.” LaMarche has voiced Egon Spengler in “The Real Ghostbusters,” Big Bob Pataki in “Hey, Arnold,” and a variety of characters in “Futurama.”
Rogel, along with being a writer on “Animaniacs,” composed iconic songs for the show such as “Yakko’s World,” “The Presidents Song,” and “Careful What You Eat.” Rogel also worked on other shows like “Batman: The Animated Series,” “Histeria,” and “House of Mouse” as a writer.
At the show, audiences should anticipate seeing songs from not only “Animaniacs” but also from “Histeria” and some new original tunes that can only be heard at the show.
“Randy’s music is the star of the show,” said Paulsen.
When the News Journal spoke to the three via Zoom, LaMarche said audiences should expect laughter and “an Inside Baseball if you will kind of evening of all that went into the making of Animaniacs.”
Rogel added there would be some animation showcases with plenty of music and songs and “just the incredible performances” from Paulsen and LaMarche.
“This is not a tribute band,” said Rogel. “These are the guys who do all those voices and not just on Animaniacs.”
The genesis of Animaniacs Live started with Rob Paulsen’s podcast “Talkin’ Toons.” Paulsen advised he got on the phone with Rogel and felt that people weren’t acknowledging the other songs he composed. After that, it took off and they haven’t stopped.
“It’s really taken off and we’re having so much fun,” said Paulsen.
All three love to see and hear the reactions of the audience as they perform the show, and love seeing the multiple generations attending and seeing how the show and the characters have had an impact on them in some way.
“You don’t need to know ‘Animaniacs’ to enjoy the show and you don’t need to be a kid. Most of our audience are adults,” said Rogel.
“Those 40-year-olds are the 15-year-olds who used to watch our shows after school. They’re showing it to their children because we’ll see their kids in their laps,” said LaMarche.
Animaniacs Live takes place on Friday, March 1, 7:30 p.m. at the Murphy Theatre. Tickets are available at themurphytheatre.org.
Reach John Hamilton at 937-382-2574
