UK Theatre Network

If you rearrange “unemployed” it spells opportunity!

From its modest origins as an idea for television that hit the stage merely by accident at the Vineyard Theatre in New York, Avenue Q has been an unexpected Tony-winning success for its writers Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx (music and lyrics), d Jeff Whitty (book), and for its director Jason Moore. After its long and deserved West End run the popular puppet show now tours the UK. 

Princeton, a recent Eng Lit graduate, is stranded in a rundown neighbourhood of an outer New York borough. Finding himself laid off before he can even start his first job he joins in with the other less fortunate dwellers of Avenue Q cheerfully chanting the song It Sucks To Be Me. Former child star Gary Coleman, who now works as a handyman, persuades Princeton that all he needs is a purpose in life and losing his job could be a big opportunity. Furry Kate Monster, a kindergarten assistant who is dreaming of founding a school exclusively for little monsters, quickly falls for Princeton and thereby experiences the ups and downs of a relationship. The other inhabitants of Avenue Q include Brian who considers himself a great comic and his Japanese girlfriend Christmas Eve who came to the land of opportunity only to end up working in a Chinese restaurant, seductive Lucy the Slut, the closet homosexual Rod and his buddy Nicky and the porn addict Trekkie Monster.

The show’s comic premise is that muppet-like puppets sing naughty songs and get into all kinds of adult situations. They enjoy wild puppet sex, get drunk, betray each other and worry about each other. The cast is made up of a mixture of puppets and humans which works extremely well. The puppets are skilfully manipulated by actors, who are clearly visible and deliver the dialogue and songs. I was particularly impressed by Rachel Jerram who portrayed both Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut and Adam Pettigrew as Princeton and Rod.

The first half of the show is hilarious and original but the story becomes somewhat sugary in the second half with the feel-good factor taking over completely. Being a German who loves to laugh about the misfortune of others – thus the German word “Schadenfreude” - I was longing for the return of the uncaring Bad Idea Bears who presented Princeton with a noose when he was feeling down. However, this is a very entertaining and refreshingly anti-PC show with great songs like The Internet Is For Porn, Schadenfreude and We’re All A Little Bit Racist. 

So next time you feel down, either “think of all the joy you bring to others when they see how miserable you are” or treat yourself to this hilarious show!

The show runs until 5 March 2011 at the Richmond Theatre.

Richmond Theatre, The Green, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1QJ

http://www.ambassadortickets.com/2243/659/Richmond/Richmond-Theatre/Avenue-Q-Tickets