A Musical where Sesame Street meets South Park
Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
The story, the music, the performances |
| Disadvantages: |
Not for kids under age 12 |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
If you generally hate musicals, I'm happy to say that "Avenue Q" has been especially written for people like you. But if you love musicals, this one won't put you off - since it is still a musical, and a pretty damned good one at that. From its title one can't really assume anything about this musical, besides where the action takes place, but that is the tip of the iceberg. This is the story of a young college graduate, Preston, who is ready to start to find his way in life in New York. The first apartment he rents is on… you guessed it, Avenue Q, which comes with a very varied group of - atypically - friendly neighbors. But maybe that's because not all the people on the block are human. No, these aren't aliens taking over the world; they are puppets - like on Sesame Street. In fact, the creators of this musical actually tried to get real Muppets to be part of this production but were turned down. Why? Probably because this musical has been described as "Sesame Street meets South Park". Of course, "South Park" is a cartoon - but a fairly 'rough & racy' one, and it's in that where this musical turns away from being one for young children and into one for a more mature audience (age 12 and above only). Where this differs from "Sesame Street" is in that we see the actors carrying the puppets and at times even voicing more than one puppet in the scene. On paper this sounds confusing but it works quite well, once you get used to it. Especially since the puppet-masters are able to give us the extra facial expressions that the puppets can't - so it's worth watching both the puppets as well as the actors inside/behind them.The characters here really are a plethora of interesting people and puppets. Aside from Princeton, there's Kate Monster - another puppet who is a kindergarten teacher. Of course, as her name suggests, she is a "monster". We also have another monster - Trekkie Monster, who will tell you that "the Internet is for Porn". Some of the other puppets are Nicky who lives with and mooches off his best (platonic) friend and roommate Rod, the Investment Banker, who is a closet homosexual (think Ernie & Burt). The humans here are Brian - the wannabe comedian engaged to Japanese immigrant, Christmas Eve who is a therapist with no clients. Finally, there's Avenue Q's superintendent, Gary Coleman TV show "Different Strokes" (famous for his line "what chew talkin' about, Willis"). Of course, the real actor Gary Coleman doesn't play himself, but I think you get the picture. I'm glad to say that the music here finds a happy medium between childishly fun and adult up beat, on the jazzy side. The numbers here aren't huge productions, but they're all catchy, honest and heartfelt without any sweaty take-your-breath-away dancing. That's not to say these songs won't get you excited, because they absolutely will - but with their humor! Honestly, how could you not laugh at a song called "It Sucks to be Me" or "If You Were Gay"? What these songs do is take real-life concepts and observances, and relates them in a comic way - without ever becoming condescending and while remaining simplistic. And, as all good comedy contains enough reality to make it ring true, it's no surprise that you'll find yourself laughing out loud at almost every twist and turn of the story. But this isn't all laughs, since any good show needs to get you to feel for the characters, and this story pulls us in so that we feel the puppets are really alive, and we empathize with their difficulties as well as laugh at their foibles. There's nothing over-the-top slapstick - despite some of the more raunchy humor and dirty bits - and you might just find yourself with tears running down your smiling cheeks. As for the more heartfelt bits, there's nothing saccharine, even as we practically fall in love with the whole company. Lastly, I can't tell you that you'll be humming each and every song as you leave the theatre. However, you certainly will remember most of them and many of the more silly lyrics will stick in your mind for quite some time afterwards. As for the performances - well, the cast seems to work together seamlessly, with excellent interactions and what appears to be utter enjoyment of every minute. While Princeton and Kate Monster are the stars, none of the rest of the cast ride on their coattails and everyone seems to pull their full weight. Moreover, the acting and singing by the full cast are evenly matched and professionally executed, without anyone seeming the least bombastic or sounding operatic. I found this musical to be a total delight, but despite the puppets, this isn't a kid's show. Happily my 13-year-old daughter wasn't put off or insulted by any of it (and yes, she got all the jokes), so I think they know what they're talking about. I would say that this is 'good clean family fun' but only if your family has kids old enough to appreciate it. I wholeheartedly recommend you find time to see "Avenue Q" as soon as possible - it's a real winner and let's hope that contrary to the song, this isn't "only for now"! Thanks for reading and don't forget to rate!Davida Chazan © August, 2006 for DooYoo, revised May 2008 for Ciao USA.
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