BWW Reviews: Lyric Music Theater Presents Saucy, Unconventional Parable

South Portland's Lyric Music Theater opened its 2014-2015 season with a stylish, saucy production of the 2003 Tony award-winning musical Avenue Q. The Lopez-Marx-Whitty show is an unconventional, politically incorrect parody - a parable which chronicles the coming of age of eleven Sesame Street generation young adults on Brooklyn's Avenue Q.

The musical is distinguished by the fact that eight of the actors are doubled by large puppets which evoke a bizarre children's fairytale amid the debris and decay, dashed hopes and harsh realities of their emerging adult world. The dichotomy of the concept and characters makes for a jarringly absurd, yet touching humor, peppered with just enough raunchiness and tastelessness to make it acerbic and mordantly funny.

The production, directed by Jonathan R. Carr, is lively, fluid, and strikes just the right balance between outrageous and poignant. Leslie Chadbourne's musical direction is sensitively attuned to the singers and stage action, and the five musicians play with sprightly animation.

Ken Hutchins and Jonathan R. Carr's set is realistically reminiscent of the downtrodden street of this south-central Brooklyn neighborhood. Painted in hues of red brick and grimy gray, it calls to mind an Edward Hopper cityscape. Bruce Gray contributes the moody lighting design. Though most of the actors wear simple black, Paul Bett and Louise Keezer design the few costumes for those who don't with characterful color. Puppet builder Karen Trask has created large, loveable puppets, which despite the obligatory caveat disassociating them from Jim Henson, evoke the legendary Sesame Street monsters and creatures and mirror remarkably well the characteristics of their human actor-puppeteers. The cast proves adept at handling these puppets and manages some clever interactions, the most outrageously amusing, the lovemaking scene between Princeton and Kate Monster.

Joel Crowley plays Princeton as a wide-eyed naïf and sings with a forceful, plaintive tenor. Molly Harmon is an affecting Kate Monster - vulnerable and idealistic. Torin Peterson nails the character of Rod as a nerdy closet gay man, and he can belt a song with impressive style. Olivia Orr makes a refreshingly natural and streetwise Gary Coleman, who sings persuasively, and Alison Bogannan, as a notoriously funny, quirky Christmas Eve, is able to deliver her musical numbers in powerhouse style while maintain the colorful accent and mannerisms. Ashley Christy acts a vampish Lucy the Slut, but sings somewhat unevenly, just as Shawn Reardon's Nicky is vocally pale, but dramatically endearing. Of the remaining roles, Owen White is an appropriately gangsterish Trekkie; Dave Ciampa a sympathetic Brian, while Kyle Aaron and Doni Tambyln supply several well-etched minor characters.

Overall, the virtues of the production outweigh any minor faults. Once again, it is to Lyric Theater's enormous credit that they are willing - and remarkably able - to mount full-scale productions of major musicals and not to shrink from adventurous repertoire.

Photos Courtesy Lyric Music Theater, Brandon Pullen Photography

Avenue Q runs from September 19- October 4, 2014 at Lyric Music Theatre, 178 Sawyer St., South Portland, ME 207-799-1421 www.lyricmusictheater.org

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