The Bottom Line
Think "Sesame Street" grows up with Avenue Q, a musical complete with phonetics lessons, porn addicted monsters and puppets looking for life's purpose. An evening spent on Avenue Q is truly a joy.
Pros
- Energetic, enthusiastic performances
- Well-written dialogue and lyrics
- Incredible puppeteering
Cons
- Not appropriate for children
Description
- Avenue Q is playing at the Golden Theater 252 West 45th Street (between Broadway and 8th Avenue)
- Avenue Q Music and Lyrics: Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx.
- 2003 Lucille Lortel Award: Outstanding New Musical
- 2003 Outer Critics Circle Nomination: Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical
- Avenue Q Cast: Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jennifer Barnhart, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Jordan Gelber
- Avenue Q Cast: Ann Harada, Rick Lyon, John Tartaglia, Jodi Eichelberger, Peter Linz
- Avenue Q Choreography: Ken Roberson
- Opening: Thursday, July 31, 2003
Guide Review - Avenue Q: New York Theater Review
Clearly both honoring and mocking "Sesame Street," Avenue Q features male roommates not unlike Bert and Ernie; Trekkie Monster, who's interest in porn is akin to Cookie Monster's love of sweets; and phonetics lessons on video screens. Puppeteers successfully share the stage with puppets, giving them dynamic emotional range through body language and facial expressions. Expertly executed choreography enables nearly seemless switching of puppets between puppeteers (though the voices for each character are consistant) and several instances of two puppeteers working with one puppet. Tunes such as "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" and "Schadenfreude" make the audience laugh, but also communicate poignant messages. Truly a joyful performance.
