At first glance, the set of “Avenue Q” looks a lot like a
rundown version of “Sesame Street.” There’s a brownstone façade and a stoop.
There’s laundry strung between a few second story windows. But there’s also
quite a bit of graffiti on these city walls — and most of it is swear words and
sexual slang. “Sesame Street” for a more mature audience, perhaps?
The two-act
musical “Avenue Q,” conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx with book by Jeff
Whitty, was originally intended to be a TV series but was developed for the
stage in 2002. It opened Off Broadway and quickly moved to Broadway in 2003 —
that same year, “Avenue Q” won three Tony awards including for Best Musical.
But even though it’s in the top 25 longest running shows on Broadway, it’s rare
to see the show performed on community theater stages. Songs like “The Internet
is for Porn,” “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist,” and “I’m Not Wearing Underwear
Today” don’t exactly scream “family-friendly musical” — even though most of
these songs are performed by people using puppets.
The plot
will ring (sting?) true for many millennials. It follows Princeton, a blue,
bespectacled puppet and recent college grad who wonders, “What Do You Do
with a B.A. in English?” He moves to New York City, of course, and happily
exists on checks from his parents until he finds his “purpose.” Princeton is
puppeteered by familiar RAPA face Jimmy Boorum, who rarely disappoints in a
role, especially one with pop-style vocals. Boorum’s excellent comedic timing
and intuitive acting skills do not detract from the puppeteering, but add to
the overall laughs throughout the show and seem to direct the cast. He also
plays the supporting character Rod, a Republican financial advisor who is
presumed gay by his group of friends and roommate but won’t embrace it himself
(he even invents a girlfriend: “My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada”).
Princeton’s
love interest, Kate Monster, is puppeteered and acted by Holly Lowden, whose
versatile acting and vocal chops make her convincing as both the insecure girl
next door and the femme fatale, Lucy.
There’s much
more to be said about the nine-person cast of “Avenue Q,” from the lead players
to the ensemble. Most of them puppeteer or play two characters — in the case of
Yunjin Audrey Kim (Christmas Eve), she is affecting a thick Asian accent
through the entire show (“The More You Ruv Someone”) but still shows
off her powerful soprano voice. Tyler Hecht, a recent high school graduate and
Stars of Tomorrow winner, puppeteers Nicky and blue Bad Idea Bear. Throughout
the show, Hecht switches effortlessly between characters and doesn’t miss a
beat — musical or otherwise — proving his theatrical career will be one to
watch over the next few years. Trekkie Monster, puppeteered by Steve Cena, is
at once the most heinous and loveable character in the entire show, and Cena’s
gruff voice and hilarious delivery proved him an audience favorite. The parody
celebrity character Gary Coleman (played by recent School of the Arts graduate
Danielle Williams) is a humorous plot twist, but its cultural wink may be lost
on many of the younger members in the audience.
There are
three performance spaces in the Kodak Center for the Performing Arts, and this
show is staged in the Executive Dining Room Theatre. It’s more dinner
theater-style than auditorium-style seating, but an experimental space often
works well for an experimental show — especially when the band, lights, and any
screens onstage are placed strategically (and in this case, they are). Under
Thomas Markham’s direction, the strong, professional cast and crew make the
audience forget they are anywhere other than a dimly lit theater watching an
entertaining production.
“Avenue Q” is filled with innuendos and
metaphors for the seasoned playgoer, and it’s a delightful challenge for the
audience member who wants to analyze the Tony-winning show. For those who just
want to have a good laugh at an inappropriate joke or two, well, that’s
possible, too.
This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 4, 2015.
