August 4, 2005

Avenue Q.

Filed under: Uncategorized — Jim @ 12:08 am

Today I saw the Broadway Show Avenue Q, which is playing at the Golden Theater. When it comes to writing reviews for Broadway plays, I don’t pretend to be Clive Barnes, or Frank Rich (before he became a liberal puke columnist), but here is what I thought of the show.

I loved it.

At first, I had serious reservations about seeing a show in which some of the actors operate Muppet-line puppets on stage. I wondered to myself, Do I watch the actor or the puppet? Seems to me the show should be done either by actors or puppets, but not actors doing puppetry in view of the audience.

It took about three minutes to convince me that the concept was more than workable; it was excellent.

The show deals with a recent college graduate named “Princeton,” with a fresh degree in English, who learns that the business world is not clamoring to hire him. As such, he ends up living on Avenue Q, a rundown neighborhood, with a collection of hilarious characters, some human and some puppets.

There are seven actors in the play, four of whom are also puppeteers. All the performers were excellent, however, the actors who were also puppeteers were superb. Each of the four played multiple characters/puppets. The woman who played the lead female character/puppet was amazing. She played and sang the parts of the lead female character, “Kate Monster,” in a child-like soprano voice. However, that all changed with she played and sang the part for the character, “Lucy The Slut,” in a beautiful alto voice.

As soon as I heard the ensemble sing “It Sucks to be Me,” I knew that the audience was going to be treated t some clever and funny tunes. They came one after another.

One word of caution. Although the show uses Muppet-like characters, it is definitely not for children. The story and the songs deal with some very adult things, which, for example, includes a side-splitting scene of two Muppets having a wild roll in the hay.

I’d go see it again.

5 Comments »

  1. Working your way towards number one result for Google searches on “muppet sex”, huh? Good for you. It’s important to have hobbies.

    Comment by zonker — August 4, 2005 @ 8:07 am

  2. I loved Avenue Q! I went with my college’s alumni association and got seated next to a guy who graduated in 1949. He was visibly uncomfortable and shifted around in his seat when they sang “The Internet is for Porn.” At the end of the show, he and his wife both had looks of horror on their faces.

    Comment by marydell — August 4, 2005 @ 8:50 am

  3. I’ve seen the show twice and have listened to the soundtrack countless amounts of time – Fun show!!

    When they got nominated for the Tony Award for best musical, they said to themselves No way are they going to give a puppet show the Tony, let’s have some fun with this. And boy did they. They decorated the front of the theatre like a campaign headquaters and then wrote campaign songs, handed out buttons etc – When they won part of their speech “They gave the Tony to a Puppet Show????”

    I beleive that you can still listen to their campaign song on their web page.

    Comment by Laurie — August 4, 2005 @ 9:32 am

  4. My favorite link.

    Comment by Mr. Snitch! — August 4, 2005 @ 11:10 pm

  5. I also saw this show and was less than enthused when I got the tickets, but walked away LOVING it. I now have the soundtrack and liten to it often. I too would go see it again..

    Comment by debby — August 5, 2005 @ 3:47 pm

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