The hysterically entertaining BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy continues its popular summer residency at Caveat NYC, the acclaimed Lower East Side comedy venue that “champions nerdy, funny art—and sells cheap drinks.” Leading the cast of talented comedic performers is voiceover legend Stuart Zagnit, the original voice of Professor Oak from the English-language version of the Pokémon television series.

With pop up performances through August, audiences will have several chances to join The Professor on this epic musical adventure featuring improvised battles, an immersive Splash Zone, and a never-ending parade of adorable/violent puppet monsters.

In April, TDF listed BALLS as one of the top five shows to stream in the country. Nintendo Life call it “a proper laugh-fest [that] wears its Pokémon inspiration proud [sic] on its sleeve.” TimeOut New York says it’s the tenth best (out of 111!) thing to do in the city this weekend.

And JapanCultureNYC highly recommends BALLS! It’s weird, nostalgic, and thoroughly entertaining. Splurge for the Splash Zone; it’s worth it. I had a great conversation with Zagnit, so stay tuned for an in-depth look at his connection to the early days of Monster-Catchin’ and his involvement with this comedic musical.

Stuart Zagnit as The Professor and Harrison Bryan as Warlordturtle in *BALLS*

Created by Brandon Zelman (“Who’s that Pokémon? Podcast”, “Cat in the Hat Podcast”) and Harrison Bryan (“A Hanukkah Carol," “NY Innovative Theatre Award” Winner), BALLS features new music by an Elite Team of award-winning composers spanning Broadway, Hollywood, The West End, and TikTok, with an evocative score built around nostalgia. Composers include Lena Gabrielle (Six, Emojiland), Pippa Cleary (My Son’s a Queer, The Great British Bake Off Musical), Joriah Kwamé (Little Miss Perfect), Aaron Kenny (The Little Mermaid, A Hanukkah Carol), and Grace Yurchuk (Caesar: The Musical). Additional Music by Allan Nalven ("LSDJ") and Matthew Ryan Hunter (NBC) with Orchestrations, Arrangements, and Music Supervision by Lena Gabrielle.

BALLS Cast

Stuart Zagnit (Pokémon, Little Shop of Horrors) as "The Professor"
Teresa Attridge (Avenue Q, Fun Home) as “The Rival”
Harrison Bryan (Hand to God, “Handy Award” Winner) as “Warlordturtle”
Ebony Deloney (Hairspray, Beautiful) as “Fat’Chance”
Kurt Cruz (Asian AF, UCB) as “Pocket Pedia”
Katie Luke (Bandstand, Hairspray) as “Spittle”

“While BALLS wears its fandom on its sleeve, it’s not just a spoof. At its core, the show is a love letter to anyone who grew up catching monsters and dreaming big—and a reminder that growing up doesn’t mean giving up adventure.” (Artist Weekly)

To purchase tickets, please visit Caveat’s website. Learn more about the mayhem at BALLSmusical.com, and make sure to follow @ballsmusical on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for updates, discount codes, merch, and prizes.

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Susan McCormac 5/15/25 Susan McCormac 5/15/25

Gotta Catch ‘Em All at Caveat NYC

BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy returns by popular demand, starting its summer residency at Caveat NYC.

BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy”

Wednesday, May 21 at 7:00 p.m.

Livestream: $15

After a sold-out initial run, BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy returns by popular demand, starting its summer residency at Caveat NYC, the acclaimed Lower East Side comedy venue that “champions nerdy, funny art—and sells cheap drinks.” Returning to lead the cast is voiceover legend Stuart Zagnit, the original voice of Professor Oak from Pokémon.

(Please note: The in-person performance at Caveat is SOLD OUT, but it is available via live stream.)

In April, TDF listed BALLS as one of the top five shows to stream in the country. Nintendo Life calls it “a proper laugh-fest [that] wears its Pokémon inspiration proud [sic] on its sleeve.”

In addition to Zagnit, the original cast returns: Teresa Attridge (Avenue Q, Fun Home) as “Rival,” Harrison Bryan (Hand to God, NYIT Award Winner) as “Warlordturtle,” Ebony Deloney (Hairspray, Beautiful) as “Bulletshell,” Kurt Cruz (Asian AF, UCB) as “Pocket Pedia,” and Katie Luke (Bandstand, Hairspray) as “Spittle.” Plus, with surprises at every turn, you never know who else might make a cameo appearance!

Photo Credit: Arin Sang-urai (@photojuice)

Created by Brandon Zelman (“Who’s That Pokémon?” Podcast) and Harrison Bryan (A Hanukkah Carol, NYIT Award winner), BALLS features an original score by a dream team of composers including Lena Gabrielle (SIX, Emojiland), Pippa Cleary (My Son’s a Queer, The Great British Bake Off Musical), Joriah Kwamé (Little Miss Perfect, Pursuit of Happyness), Aaron Kenny (The Little Mermaid, A Hanukkah Carol), and Grace Yurchuk (Caesar: The Musical). Additional music by Matthew Ryan Hunter (NBC) and Allan Nalven (LSDJ), with orchestrations, arrangements, music direction, and supervision by Lena Gabrielle. The creative team includes Zelman as director/art director, leading a scrappy squad of puppet-builders: Kelly Autry, Brendan Malafronte (“Malafronte’s Monster Shop”), Cat Greenfield, Genna Beth Davidson, and Harrison Bryan. Rounding out the crew are lighting designer Sasha Lysenko; graphic designer Brielle DeMirjian (The Daily Show); stage management by Mayah Lourdes Burke, Starr Wimber, and Hera Ford; with “Collectabuddy” art by Frankie Novick (“Frankiefurters”).

“While BALLS wears its fandom on its sleeve, it’s not just a spoof. At its core, the show is a love letter to anyone who grew up catching monsters and dreaming big—and a reminder that growing up doesn’t mean giving up adventure.”

— Artist Weekly

To purchase tickets for the livestream, please visit Caveat’s website. Make sure to follow @ballsmusical on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for updates, discount codes, merch, and prizes.

Catch BALLS at Caveat

BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy”

BALLS Cast

Gotta Catch ‘Em All at Caveat NYC

BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy”

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