Avenue Q

Before I really go in on this, I have to say that this is only my second Broadway Series show ever and my first one, Guys and Dolls, turned out to be so bad, my expectations for this were pretty low. That being said, I was excited to see it. Ever since I first heard the show, I knew I needed to see it.

On Avenue Q everyone is having a rough time. Brian (Cullen R. Titmas) cannot find a job, his wife, Christmas Eve (Sala Iwamatsu) cannot keep clients as a therapist. Kate Monster (Anika Larsen) is adorable, smart and sweet but does not have a boyfriend. Then, Rod (Robert McClure) and Nicky (David Benoit) are roommates and best friends, but they are constantly fighting. Then Princeton (Robert McClure) moves in and joins in the misery as a recent college grad without a job. Oh and Gary Coleman (Danielle K. Thomas), yes that Gary Coleman, is the Super at the apartment complex where all of these crazy people live. Soon, Kate likes Princeton and Princeton likes Kate, but his purpose gets in the way. Rod might be gay, but he is hiding in the closet and it causes problems with Nicky. It would probably be wise to tell you that a few of these characters are puppets and some of those puppets are considered monsters. Also, Trekkie Monster lives upstairs and only cares about porn.

First, I have to talk about the things that bugged me. First off, I am sure this is how it is supposed to go, but having Rod and Princeton voiced by the same person was horribly annoying. It works until they are both on stage and the guy voicing Rod is on the other side of the stage from the Rod puppet. I know the character is the point, not the puppeteer, but I found the whole thing to be far too distracting. McClure does an excellent job at both parts, but the constant switching of puppets and hearing the voice elsewhere was almost too much for me to handle. Secondly, Titmas' Brian was so dull and laid back, he did not belong on the stage. I get that Brian is this slacker, easy going guy, but I still need energy in order to care one bit. Brian does not have to have a super strong voice, which this guy did not have, but he has to have life. Thomas, as Coleman, had breasts that were just too big for this person to even possible be considered a guy. They were not hidden well in the overalls. Thomas did fine, if a bit grating, but the big bouncy breasts certainly made it clear that Coleman was being played by a woman. Finally, the music was over powering in spots, especially when Thomas was singing as Coleman.

Everything else is all gravy. First off, McClure does a phenomenal job portraying two very different personalities. His Princeton is lovable, interesting and a bit pathetic and his vocals match the personality. His Rod is picture perfect. He plays him more buttoned down than I would have imagined and just enough of a lisp to hint at being gay and then when he finally lets loose, wow, it is hilarious. I like that each character gets a very distinct singing voice, with the Rod character coming off a bit more impressive. Larsen's Kate is very funny and touching. "There's a fine line" is a great song and great moment, only ruined by the dumb girl behind me giggling through the whole song. Iwamatsu's Christmas Eve nearly stole the show. I was worried I would not be able to understand anything out of her mouth, but she was clear enough to make it super funny and when she sang "The More you Ruv Someone" I was totally with it. Beonoit, doing triple duty as Nicky, Trekkie and a bad idea bear, is probably the most impressive, in terms of voice work because all 3 of his characters are vastly different and he does very well with all three.

The bad Idea Bears were a big treat for me. I had no idea what they were and they really added a nice element to the Sesame Street vibe. Also, the use of a television like a word of the day added a nice comic touch. I like that almost every first act song ends in a big cheesy pose, especially during numbers like "Every one's a little bit Racist." Every single song worked in this production and the choreography was perfectly simple, which was good because a few of the actors could not dance a lick. The stationary set was impressive looking, and offered a few nice surprises, like the rocket ship beds during Rod's very touching and kind of silly dream song.

The idea of using a kid's show as the framing device for the show, of course, mines greater laughs out of songs like "The Internet is for Porn" or "You can be as loud as the Hell you Want," but what makes the show great to me is the idea of the show being squarely aimed at people in the mid to late 20s. I love that they use puppets, a memory of childhood, to work through their 20s issues. Songs like "I wish I could go back to College" or "What do you do with a B.A. in English" offer a nice insight into the writers and offer a great perspective to so many people going through that at that age. The puppets seem like merely a gimmick and they do offer plenty of gimmickry (The puppet sex is freaking hilarious and amazing beyond belief), but they are more than a gimmick, they will remind anyone watching of a time when life was easy.

This production of Avenue Q sparkles when it is supposed to and made me think at moments too. The voices were all very good, except for 1 and I do not think they let the material get the best of them. I like that they used so many different aspects of the Sesame Street formula, but never did it seem overly childish. The swearing never feels like it was put there just to hear puppets swear, but each swear serves a purpose, usually to cover up embarrassment. Yes, the puppet sex is crazy and over the top, but so is the song that accompanies it and that is what makes it so much fun. I did not speak much about the puppetry because I know nothing about it. I did not have any complaints about the puppet movement, just the the idea of doubling up on voices for puppets, which I know was written that way. I do not back off of my thought that it was super annoying though.

Final Grade: B+