Avenue Q: The Book is Now Available in Stores

Avenue Q: The Book, the companion book to the Tony Award-winning hit Broadway musical about young people with big dreams and tiny bank accounts trying to make it in New York, was released by Hyperion on November 1st. 

"As smart, funny, and politically incorrect as the show itself, Avenue Q: The Book is packed with exclusive interviews with the cast and creatures, original color illustrations, and the lyrics to unforgettable songs, such as "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" and "It Sucks to Be Me." Avenue Q: The Book is the perfect gift for theater fans and lovers of saucy, irreverent humor--basically any over-educated, under-employed, hard-to-buy-for relative or friend!," state press notes on the book, which features text and interviews by Zachary Pincus-Roth and principal photography by Carol Rosegg.

"Set on a street in New York City where people and puppets live as neighbors, Avenue Q is the place people move when they can't afford to live anywhere else. The show's memorable characters--all of whom appear in the book--include Princeton, fresh out of college and looking for his purpose in life; Kate Monster, a kindergarten teaching assistant looking for love; Rod, a closeted gay Republican investment banker; Nicky, his slacker roommate; Trekkie Monster, their porn-addicted upstairs neighbor; Gary Coleman, a former child star who is now the building superintendent; and Lucy The Slut, no description necessary.

Fans will be delighted to spot the show-stealing Bad Idea Bears peeking from page corners with exhortations including, 'Just put it on your credit card and pay it later' and 'He'll still respect you tomorrow.' Together with their friends and neighbors, the characters of Avenue Q confront some of life's thorniest issues: racism, romance, sexual identity, homelessness, joblessness, life's purpose, and porn.

Packed with 'educational' activities that warn of life after college, readers can attempt the 'Help Princeton Find His Purpose!' Maze; the 'Are You A Homowhatever?' Quiz; the 'Where's Lucy The Slut' Exercise; and the 'How Much Do the People in Your Neighborhood Make?' Connect-the-Dot game.  Avenue Q also includes extensive interviews with the show's creators that reveal how they came up with the concept and how their small show got so big."

The show (music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx; book by Jeff Whitty; Based on an original concept by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx) opened on Broadway at the Golden Theatre on July 31, 2003.  In 2004, the show won the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Original Score of a Musical, and Best Book of a Musical. Over three years and 1,300 performances later, the show remains one of Broadway's biggest successes.

The book is produced by Melcher Media.  It is set at a retail price of $29.95.  Visit www.avenueq.com for more information.