Video: Celebrate 20 Years of AVENUE Q

20 years ago today, on July 31, 2003, Avenue Q opened on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre, where it ran for over six years and 2534 performances. 

Avenue Q is a musical with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and book by Jeff Whitty. The cast, made up of four puppeteers and three human actors, included John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada, Rick Lyon, Jennifer Barnhart, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jodi Eichelberger, and Peter Linz.

Avenue Q told the timeless story of a bright-eyed college grad named Princeton. When he arrives in the city with big dreams and a tiny bank account, he has to move into a shabby apartment all the way out on AVENUE Q. Still, the neighbors seem nice. There, he meets Kate (the girl next door), Lucy (the slut), Rod (the Republican), Trekkie (the internet entrepreneur), superintendent Gary Coleman (yes, that Gary Coleman) and other new friends! Together, they struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life.

Before Broadway, Avenue Q premiered Off-Broadway in 2003 at the Vineyard Theatre, co-produced by the Vineyard Theatre and The New Group. The musical won the 2003 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical and Outstanding Sound Design.

The musical opened on Broadway later that year at the John Golden Theatre, directed by Jason Moore. The show was nominated for six Tony Awards and won three: Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Musical (famously beating Wicked for the top prize that season).

Avenue Q's victory at the 2004 Tony Awards was considered an historic upset and effectively redrew the landscape for innovation, originality and success on Broadway. The musical recouped its investment in just 10 months, and with its fresh and funny tale about people and puppets just out of college looking for their purpose in life, Avenue Q has been groundbreaking in its appeal to young theatergoers who relate to the characters and the challenges they face learning adult life lessons about racism, coming out, unemployment, dating and sex. The show has captivated audiences of all generations with it singular, hilarious take on the traditional story of boy-meets-girl, boy-loses girl, boy tries to win girl back - except in Avenue Q, the boy and girl just happen to be puppets.

After the show closed on Broadway, it reopened Off-Broadway at the New World Stages  on October 9, 2009. The production played there for a decade until its final performance on May 26, 2019, with many former cast members, and the show's creators in the audience.

Avenue Q went on to tour the word and has played notable productions in London's West End, Las Vegas, Australia, France, Portaugal, Germany, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico and more.