When I heard of a Broadway musical starring foul-mouthed puppets I thought this could just possibly be the best thing ever. Avenue Q did not disappoint. It exceeded all of my expectations and more by delivering hilarious dialogue, witty songs and full frontal puppet nudity (which is always shocking). In short, I loved it and I am willing to go so far as to say Avenue Q is the most enjoyable musical I have seen since Spamalot.
Imagine, if you would, Sesame Street if it were reformatted for late night on HBO. In a nutshell, that’s what this show is. It features starry-eyed puppets and their human companions doing their best to find decent jobs, stable relationships and their “purpose” in New York City. The storyline itself isn’t exactly original however the way it is told and performed on stage puts Avenue Q in a league of its own. You could easily watch this show multiple times in order to thoroughly appreciate the puppets and the puppeteers who are easily as animated as the puppets they control.
The story begins with Princeton (Brent Michael DiRoma) arriving on Avenue Q. He’s a fresh out of college puppet who has to figure out what job he can actually obtain with a BA in English. He’s optimistic but only because he isn’t quite prepared for post-college disappoints. Life on Avenue Q changes Princeton by challenging his idealism. His neighbors all have big dreams, little traction and live by the infectious motto, "It sucks to be me." During his stint on Avenue Q, Princeton ends up getting downsized before he even starts his job, he falls in love with a slightly racist monster, dumps her to focus on finding his purpose, takes ill advice from the Bad Idea Bears, and then ends up having a one night stand with Lucy T. Slut.
The music and lyrics done by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx are hysterical. Songs like 'The Internet is for Porn,' 'Everyone is a Little bit Racist,' and 'The More you Love Someone, the More you want to Kill Them' are not only fun but also surprisingly catchy. This show truly delivers on all fronts.
For lack or a better description, Avenue Q is the wrong side of Sesame Street offering no holds bar life lessons for adults. Regardless of the laughs, Avenue Q tells the tale of coping in the real world and finding a good circle of friends. It really is a coming- of- age tale for the twenty and thirty somethings and reminds us we could benefit from a little childlike whimsy in our own messed up adult situations.
Life on Avenue Q is rather colorful. The building super is a grown-up Gary Coleman (Nigel Jamaal Clark and yes he is supposed to be the same Gary Coleman who played Arnold on Diff'rent Strokes). The neighbors include Rod (Brent Michael DiRoma), a closeted investment banker; Nicky (Michael Liscio, Jr.), Rod's room mate who resembles a green Ernie; Matt (Tim Kornblum), an aspiring yet unemployed comedian and his Japanese-born fiancee Christmas Eve (Lisa Helmi JohaPnson); a porn loving recluse named Trekkie Monster (Michael Liscio, Jr.); and an earnest kindergarten teaching assistant, Kate Monster (Jacqueline Grabois).
This critically acclaimed, 3-time Tony award winning musical will only be in town until the 9th. In my opinion, this is a must see show. Tickets range from $25- 75 and are well worth the admission price. Given the set and the layout of The Bank of America Theatre, a lot of the balcony seats suffer from an obstructed view. I suggest spending the additional money for a decent seat.
For more information, check out Broadway in Chicago or http://www.avenueq.com/.
