A trip down the wrong Avenue Q
Having heard outstanding reviews of ‘Avenue Q’ from friends and the media, I couldn’t wait to go and see it- even though it was a musical. However, my last experience of musical theatre at ‘Parade’ had near converted me to one who loves spontaneous song and dance on stage, and so I went in optimistic. Such is the show’s notoriety that anyone having difficulty locating the theatre on exiting Leicester Square tube, will have their way guided by huge yellow signs to the Noel Coward- equally yellow and eye catching.
At first, I really did wonder at how much I would enjoy the show when the first actor runs onto the stage with a large Muppet on his hand and starts singing and moving the puppet accordingly- not even bothering with any sort of ventriloquism. I knew full well ‘Avenue Q’ was the Muppet musical, but had never until then given any thought as to how they would actualise it. I had my answer. Being sure that this previously unseen style of conceptualisation would grow on me, I didn’t let it taint the rest of the show.
The musical follows Princeton, fresh out of college, ready for anything the world has to throw at him, as he moves to Avenue Q- one of New York’s less prestigious areas. There he encounters a group of quirky, yet lovable friends and inevitably falls for Kate Monster- the single teacher. Princeton’s apparent purpose and priority is to find his purpose… in life. The musical takes us through love, puppet sex, absinthe cocktails, born again virgins and closet gays. A gem of the production is the “Bad idea bears”, two irresistibly cute-seemingly-innocent bears who come along at the worst time to coax you into making the most irresponsible decision- hence absinthe cocktails and rampant Muppet sex.
The lewdly and crudely anticipated humour I was expecting kicked off immediately to my delight and the songs “Everyone’s a little bit racist” and “The Internet is for Porn” have you laughing in no time. Light-hearted and slapstick, I found my interest waning at times as the humour overall is a little patchy and a bit too obvious (clearly I am used to dry, sarcastic British wit), with a lot of the jokes relevant to American culture and so possibly wasted on a lot of the audience. Do you know who Gary Coleman is?!
Musically, the songs are exactly as I expected from all commercial musicals- no reflection on the musicians themselves- so I was left neither disappointed or impressed. Where I was impressed was the stunning voice of Julie Atherton who took on the role of Kate Monster. Indeed, all the cast were well-endowed vocally.
For some reason unknown to me, I was expecting a larger cast but the six actors managed to carry out many more characters seamlessly and with great enthusiasm and energy. The task of bringing an inanimate puppet to life could be a recipe for disaster if the people executing it are not proficient enough however no such disaster ensued and the choreography that went into co-ordinating the movement of Trekkie monster, for example, was outstanding, especially when undertaken by two people manipulating one arm each.
A lot of effort went into set design and creating a good atmosphere, with some spectacular and highly novel ideas- I particularly liked the fountain of bubbles erupting from the building top during Rod’s dream.
If you love musicals and pantomimes, then you are guaranteed a great time. But if musicals rank rather lower in your books, you won’t be missing out on an experience of a lifetime if you don’t rush off and see it now. Maybe I have transformed into a theatrical snob since being promoted to the high profile position of one-of-four arts editors, but nowadays I look for more in a dramatic escapade than a slightly vacuous storyline and less than impressionable musical score. Hmmm, I feel I have been too harsh- there is a lot right about ‘Avenue Q’, and if “deep theatre” does not captivate you then do go along, shits and giggles are promised!
