AVENUE Q

I went to see Avenue Q the other night. I started reading about this production last spring. I never really appealed to me. But, people kept saying that it was worth seeing. I am not sure about that.

Personally, I prefer dialogue theater. Something interesting and thought provoking. I am not a big fan of musicals but unfortunately have seen most of them because musicals are great introductory theater for kids.

In Avenue Q, the actors/puppeteers are on stage with the puppets as extensions of their arms. There are also actors in the play that are puppetless. When the puppetless actors speak with the actors that have puppets, they speak directly to the puppets as if the actors are not even there. Make sense?

The story is based on a fictional street in NYC called Avenue Q. It is basically a cast of characters from a mixed marriage couple, a closet gay man who lives with his best friend, a young monster kindergarten teacher who is looking for love and a change in her career life, a recent college grad who is trying to figure out his mission and the landlord of these buildings that the characters live in. There are a few other characaters who are not that important.

The songs are incredibly campy. Some are funnier than others. I liked the song about “it sucks to be me” and “internet is for porn” and “if you were gay”. Those were the first few songs. After that, it lost my chuckle.

I was sort of tired and cranky that night so perhaps it was my state of mind. The couple we were with sort of felt the same way we did. Maybe if I was in a really silly giddy mood, things would have worked out better.