Coming Out of Their Shells

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Coming Out Of Their Shells is a live musical tour that occurred in 1990 starting August 17. It was endorsed and sponsred by Pizza Hut. The very first showing of the tour was broadcast live on Pay-Per-View. A VHS recording of the broadcast was made available, as was a soundtrack. The tour is generally lambasted for its terrible costumes and wafer-thin plot. The band featured Donatello on keys, Leonardo on bass guitar, Michaelangelo on guitar/lead vocals & Raphael on drums/percussion/tenor saxophone/vocals. Guest vocalist include Master Splinter, April O'Neil, and The Shredder. A spin-off from this concert lead to a smaller concert set called "Getting Down In Your Town".

Summary
The Ninja Turtles have decided to travel around the world to meet their fans face to face. singing songs they wrote such as "Coming Out of Our Shells", "Pizza Power", "Skippin Stones", "Walk Straight", and "Tubin'". Though while the Turtles are enjoying their time singing and dancing for the fans, Shredder decides to make an attempt to stop the Turtles from making people happy. Shredder, with the help of Baxter Stockman comes forth with his De-Harmonic Convergence Converter. Using this device they will steal all the music in the world, and it also weakens the Turtles if they stand in front of it. Once Shredder arrives on stage with the De-Marmonic Controller the Turtles have to retreat and come up with a plan to save the day. As the fans are tortured by Shredder's bad jokes and singing.

Tracklisting
The tracklist of the soundtrack is as follows:
 * "Coming Out of Our Shells!" performed by Raphael
 * "Sing About It" performed by Raphael
 * "Tubin'" performed by Michaelangelo
 * "Skipping Stones" performed by Master Splinter
 * "Pizza Power" performed by all four turtles
 * "Walk Straight" performed by Raphael
 * "No Treaties" performed by Raphael
 * "Cowabunga" performed by Michaelangelo
 * "April's Ballad" performed by April O'Neil
 * "Count On Us" performed by all four turtles

Single
There was a single released, and extremely hard to find. Some dine-in Pizza Huts that had a jukebox might have had the single to promote the soundtrack and tour.
 * "Coming Out Of Our Shells" (Rock Version) performed by Rapheal
 * "Count On Us"  (Dance Mix) performed by all four turtles

Tracks Not Included on Soundtrack
Also used in the tour but not included on the soundtrack


 * "I Hate Music" performed by The Shredder
 * "Follow Your Heart " performed by Michaelangelo

Tracks Not Included On VHS
These tracks appear on the soundtrack but not on the VHS, but later added to the "Getting Down In Your Town" concerts.
 * "Sing About It" performed by Rapheal

Appearances
The band had made special appearances on:


 * Live! With Regis & Kathie Lee (aired Sept. 24, 1990)


 * Larry King Live


 * Oprah Windfrey Show

Cast

 * Cam Clarke as Leonardo (voice)
 * Roger Kachel as Cootsshredder.jpgrdo (singing voice)
 * Gregory Garrison as Donatello (voice)
 * Ronn K. Smith as Raphael (voice)
 * David Shatraw as Michelangelo (voice)
 * Bob Bejan as Michelangelo (singing voice)
 * Sherie Rene Scott as April O'Neil
 * Peter Renaday as Splinter (voice)
 * Mark Enis as Splinter (singing voice, speaking voice on Behind-the-Scenes tape)
 * Beau Allen as The Shredder
 * Jack Scott as Baxter Stockman
 * David Ruprecht as Kip Reading


 * Written by Bob Bejan
 * Directed by Thomas White
 * Produced by Bob Bejan, Steven E. Leber, Godfrey Nelson, Adrian Selby and Thomas White
 * Songs written by Bob Bejan and Godfrey Nelson
 * Casting by Stuart Howard, Howard Meltzer, and Amy Schector
 * Costume Design by Jonathan Bixby

Quotes

 * Michelangelo: "Sometimes you feel like a foot, and sometimes, you don't!"... Uh.....what?


 * Donatello (beating up Foot Soliders with the bo staff): This is the one thing that Bo don't know! Get it, bo?

[NOTE'': The following exchange only appeared on the Live Pay-Per-View broadcast. It was edited out of the VHS release]' (Even the kids knew how bad Shredder's costume was!)
 * Kip (interviewing random kids during intermission): What did you think of Shredder?
 * Random Boy: I'd say he looked better in the movie!
 * Kip (Trying to hold back laughing): Oh, ya did?


 * Kip: Did you see Shredder?
 * Raphael: Duh!
 * Michelangelo: Of course, we were up there fighting him! Aw, god!


 * Baxter Stockman: AHAHAHAHAHAHA....AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
 * Shredder: Oh....shut. UP.
 * (Shredder says what everybody in the audience wishes they could to Baxter)

[NOTE: The following exchange appears exclusively on the VHS Tape]


 * Shredder: *pointing to kid in audience* What's your name?


 * Kid: Peter!


 * Shredder: ....is that your sister?


 * Kid: Cousin!


 * Shredder: Cousin? What's the matter, couldn't get a date?
 * (Shredder is not above taunting children in the audience.)


 * Shredder (out of character talking to the kids standing on the seats): Get off the seats! That's made out of velvet - get off the seat!!..... God...''.


 * Shredder: Ah, Flo and Eddie. I hate these Turtles much as I hate the Ninja Turtles!


 * Shredder: Does anyone want a New Kids On The Block album?
 * (Girls in the audience can be heard screaming)
 * Shredder (Throwing the album in his music destroyer): I hear they're breaking up!

[Note: The following exchange appears exclusively on the "Getting Down in Your Town" version of the show.]


 * Casey Jones: Mom and Dads, dudes and dudettes, feast your eyes on the criminal mastermind of all ages, Shreddaaaaaaah....


 * Michelangelo: Shredder?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!


 * Donatello: No! LOOK AWAY!
 * Raphael: Check it out, it's Edwards Scissorsface!
 * (Casey Jones and the Turtles attempt to pump up the audience....and fail miserably at it.  Perhaps they're lampshading how hideous his costume looks?)  [See the Trivia section below.]



Errors
Continuity Errors
 * During the Pay-Per-View broadcast preshow, Kip mentions that they have a "home movie" of the Turtles writing and praticing their first song, which is shown to be Raph and Mike writing the studio version of "Coming Out of Their Shells" in the sewer (Mike is shown writing the lyrics on a Pizza Hut box before Raph sings the song). However, in the actual show Mike says the first song they wrote was "Pizza Power."
 * Shredder says that to prevent the audience from leaving the building, "he's locked all the doors." Obivously, in reality that wasn't true and people could still walk out.

Costume/Special Effect Errors

 * Shredder's mouthpiece is actually below his mouth, making it quite visible. This might have been intentional as the audience mightn't understand him talking through a closed mouthpiece, but it looks very odd. Moreso when it makes the fact that the actor playing him is trying not to laugh that much more apparent.


 * There are black spot splatters all over the Turtles' stage costumes. Not only is this a continuity error with the smooth green costumes we see in the behind the scenes footage, but it looks less organic, and more like somebody sprayed ink all over their heads.


 * The backstage costumes don't fare much better. While the stage costumes have their problems, at least they were limber enough to move around freely. This set, on the other hand, is stiff, cause the actors to lean awkwardly to one side, and have a problem where the Turtles' mouths continue to hang open.

Production Errors

 * There were times when the Turtles would appear on stage, and the music would begin before the Turtles started to play their instruments (In the Pay-Per-View broadcast preshow, Kip mentioned that Donatello rigged the instruments to play on their own as an excuse to get around this).


 * There are way too many times where a Turtle would talk or sing, but his mouth would either stay shut, move completely out of sync with the words, or remain completely open.


 * The colours of Mike and Raph's bandannas made it difficult for some people to tell them apart. Luckily, they wear big, black armbands with their initials on them during the show.
 * During the show's scaled-down second run, the Foot Soliders were absent, leaving Shredder and Baxter as the only on-stage villians. During the part where the Turtles are supposed to fight the Foot Soliders, the dialouge for the fight still played, but all the Turtles did was just walk back and forth across the stage spouting their one-liners despite not fighting anyone.

Logic Errors

 * Shredder sings a song called "I Hate Music". Wrap your head around that one. (On another note, it's one of the songs not featured on the soundtrack album.)


 * Whose bright idea was it to make Baxter Stockman perform an extremely loud, shrill laugh during a music concert?


 * When Michelangelo tells Leonardo that "There's no need to be buggin'!" he strums his microphone on his guitar, producing some notes. However, the way he's rubbing it can't possibly produce those chords (or any at all, since he's basically moving the microphone along the string.)
 * Leonardo plays a one-string bass, which makes no sense in shell...

Trivia

 * The full version to the Pizza Power song from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time arcade game was heard.


 * There was a second tour in continuity with this called "Getting Down in Your Town", which was featured in amusement parks. A new character featured was good old Casey Jones. Who rides around on a scooter. And needs to shave his armpits. Ew.
 * On that note, on the VHS tape of that tour, it occasionally flashes to reactions from the crowd to the shenanigans on stage. And by reactions, we mean none. Absolutely none.


 * A VHS recording of the show's Pay-Per-View broadcast was available. In the middle of the show, a reporter (not April) interviewed kids asking about the Turtles' whereabouts. David Ruphrect of Supermarket Sweep (1990) played the reporter.


 * It's called "Coming Out of Their Shells" because the stage performers have no shells! Get it? That's the joke.


 * There were apparently two sets of Turtle costumes made for this production. One was used for the behind the scenes footage (the ones that leaned awkwardly) and the other set (the ones without the shells) was used for the show.


 * Splinter is the one who sings "Skipping Stones" during the concert.


 * "Tubin'" features alligators with coconut bras and long grass Hawaiian skirts. As they have no further relevance to the rest of the show and are never referred to again, you have literally seen show's Big Lipped Alligator Moment.  As mentioned in the  Notes, these gators were replaced by Leo and Don in grass skirts during the tour's scaled down second run.


 * Leonardo's voice is the same actor from the 1987 cartoon series.


 * Kip, is actor and gameshow host David Ruprecht, known for hosting "Supermarket Sweep" (1990–1995, 2000–2003)


 * Splinter's right ear is partically missing as homage to the Splinter from the first two live action movies.


 * In the song "No Treaties" Raph starts the song using Shredder's voice.


 * Shredder mentions "Krang" and "Technodrome" as key words from the 1987 cartoon series.


 * There are two studio versions of Coming Out Of Their Shells, one is the slow version, the other, a rock version.


 * During "Tubin", one of the gator's tail gets caught in the elevated sewer on the stage as they come up and right when they walk.


 * The second set of the turtle costumes (the backstage costumes) was also used in the action figures commercials.


 * Raphael played both the drums and the sax. Recording the studio soundtrack, it's possible for him to play both instruments in a same song using split-track recording, or track dubbing, however, since the fact the music played is actually pre-recorded, the need for having both instruments was rendered null (In the Pay-Per-View preshow, Kip mentioned that the drum set had an "automatic saxophone.")