Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG succeeds on every level it appears to tackle. It works artistically, comically, dramatically, musically and as proof that a production made straight for the Internet can succeed in a big way. (All three acts are currently at the top of iTunes, they will be available through July 29; the work is also available through midnight July 20 at the Web site www.drhorrible.com .)

Dr. Horrible is the nom de guerre of Billy (Neil Patrick Harris), a would-be evil genius who’s perhaps too nice for his own ambitions. The doc has an online blog where he talks about his efforts to join the Evil League of Evil. He also talks about his arch-nemesis, superhero Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion), who is cheerfully oblivious to his own shortcomings where Billy is acutely over-aware. Both come into the sphere of Penny (Felicia Day), a sweet-natured activist on behalf of the homeless. All of them, plus a variety of chorus members and cameos, burst into song to express their bigger emotions and deeper thoughts.

The project is publicly thought of as being the work of Joss Whedon, which is fair, as he not only directed but paid for it, though it is co-written with Zack Whedon and Jed Whedon (brothers of Joss) and Maurissa Tancharoen. There are a multitude of levels here, though to discuss them in much depth would be to start spreading spoilers. It can perhaps be said that the themes deal with how people’s personas evolve (vague, I know, but the best I can do). Dialogue is snappy and often laugh-out-loud, though some lines are wrenching in context, while the lyrics flow organically, often in impressive and informative counterpoint. Music and orchestrations will remind listeners not only of Whedon’s earlier musical, the BUFFY episode “Once More, With Feeling,” but also of the works of Stephen Sondheim and Howard Ashman’s score for LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Impressively, we feel at the end that we’ve been through the full gamut of a feature, even though the total running time is under 45 minutes.

The cast is smashing. Harris, who has a song-and-dance past on stage in addition to his now-Emmy-nominated role on HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and that previous DOOGIE HOWSER fame (not to mention the show-stopping appearances in the HAROLD AND KUMAR comedies), has a gorgeous voice and a marvelously expressive face as the embodiment of every painfully smart guy with a plan, a case of nerves and a sense of incredulity at how well the good-looking self-confident doofuses do in the world. Fillion as said doofus is fearlessly silly and funny as a man of steel with a brain of wheat, while Day (who has her own Web series, THE GUILD) is effortlessly sweet and empathetic as the good-hearted Penny. Fans of Whedon’s previous work will note lots of erstwhile collaborators behind the scenes in the credits (with some old writing colleagues showing up in on-camera cameos).

This is independent production at its finest. DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG is, contrary to its title, really pretty wonderful.