DOWNEY -- It’s time for Animaniacs!

Animaniacs in Concert will be coming to the Downey Theatre on March 30, bringing a wave of wacky and musical nostalgia to attendees.

The Animaniacs were a popular cartoon throughout the 1990’s centering around the “totally insaney” siblings of “Warner Brothers” Yakko, Wakko, and “Warner Sister” Dot.

After years of running around the Warner movie lot and being locked in the Warner Brothers Tower, the trio has once again broken loose and vamoosed. Having now landed in Downey, they’re inviting residents to sit back and relax and laugh till they collapse.

Attendees should expect to hear some old-time Animaniacs classics such as “Hello Nurse” and “I’m Mad,” as well as other never-before-heard tunes.

The show will accompany Emmy winning Randy Rogel – who wrote and created many of the songs from the Animaniacs – with award winning voice actor Rob Paulsen.

You may have never heard of Paulsen, but you’ve definitely heard him.

In addition to being the voice of Yakko, Paulsen – or rather, his voice – may be familiar to many from the characters he has given life to over his over 30-year career in animation, including a laboratory mouse, a superhero sidekick, a lovable nerd, and a couple of turtles to name a few.

“I was Raphael in the original go around of [Teenage Mutant Ninja] Turtles 30-odd years ago, and now I’ve just wrapped up five years as Donatello on the most recent iteration of the show on Nickelodeon.” said Paulson. “I was also fortunate enough to be Pinky from Pinky and the Brain, and Yakko on Animaniacs; and Dr. Scratchansniff on the same show. Arthur from the Tick…PJ from Goof Troop, and Carl Wheezer from Jimmy Neutron. All kinds of fun stuff.”

And those just scratch the surface of his extensive repertoire.

Still, Paulsen says that he’s “just the actor and the singer.” However, he is honored when he to gets to speak with fans of the shows.

“It turns out that all these characters have brought an incredible amount of joy to folks,” said Paulsen. “That’s the greatest part about this gig is knowing that it makes people happy… It is never not humbling. It is really a profound gift when people take the time when people take the time to tell you what these characters have meant to them.”

According to Paulson, voice acting brings its own set of challenges, including the relying on the use of voice and animation to portray a character as opposed to putting on a costume and physically entering a set or scene.

“It is much more an imaginative practice, much more of an imaginative exercise,” said Paulson. “I have a very fertile imagination; I think I’m pretty good at improvising in the context of what a scene is about and so are my peers.

“Jim Cummings, Frank Welker, Jeff Bennet, Maurice LaMarche, Billy West, Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, all these people have such really vivid imaginations and they are entertaining by themselves. When you talk to Jim Cummings and he starts riffing as Darkwing Duck or Winnie the Pooh, or you talk to Frank Welker and he starts riffing as Megatron, or you talk to Seth MacFarlane and he starts riffing as Stewie, Maurice as Morbo or the Brain, it’s effortless and they don’t need a script to do it. It’s pretty cool.”

Screengrab from Youtube user CartoonSerie

Aforementioned Maurice LaMarche – who voiced Brain on Pinky and the Brain - will also be joining Paulsen on the Downey Theatre stage.

“We found out yesterday,” said Paulsen. “Randy Rogel has written new pieces for not only the Brain, but Pinky and the Brain and we will be performing them as well; things that no audience has ever heard.”

The reunion of Paulsen and LaMarche should bring a fresh and exciting dynamic to the show.

“Now that Maurice is on board, he brings a whole new level – colloquially – a whole new level of bitchin’-ness to the show,” said Paulsen. “He’s the Brain for god’s sake…he’s just a profoundly gifted individual. He’s also one of my very best friends in the world, and we can riff together as Pinky and the Brain for hours with no script.”

After years of being off the air, Paulsen says that shows like The Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain “hold up beautifully," with a demographic of current audiences spanning over two or three generations.

“Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain were really excellent shows,” said Paulsen. “Now to see a new audience embrace it…this is remarkable.”

Ticket information can be found online at the Downey Theatre website, www.downeytheatre.org, or at animaniacslive.com.

Those are the facts.

Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain to take over Downey Theatre