How well do you know Avenue Q, the hit musical that combines humor, puppets, and real-life adult themes? Test your knowledge with these trivia facts highlighting its unique blend of puppetry, catchy songs, and award-winning success. Whether you're a fan of the original cast or just discovering the show, learn more about the behind-the-scenes details and international reach of this fan-favorite musical. Dive in and see just how much you truly know about Avenue Q!
Adaptations
- The West End production of Avenue Q celebrated its 18th anniversary with a concert at the Sondheim Theatre on November 10, 2024.
International Productions
- Avenue Q international productions have been staged in countries including Australia, Brazil, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and more, with each addressing local cultural contexts.
- In the West End, Avenue Q underwent several adaptations for British audiences, including the portrayal of the Gary Coleman character by a male actor, and ran at multiple theatres from 2006 to 2010.
- Internationally, major productions of Avenue Q have been staged in Las Vegas and London's West End, along with several other countries.
Musical Composition
- Avenue Q's musical number 'There is Life Outside Your Apartment' features a rebounding Princeton being seduced by Lucy.
- Avenue Q's original Broadway cast recording was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Musical Show Album category in 2004.
- The original Broadway cast recording of Avenue Q was made on August 10, 2003, at Right Track Studio A in New York City and was released on October 6, 2003.
- Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez, the creators of 'Avenue Q', originally planned to write a Muppet movie titled 'Kermit, Prince of Denmark' before developing the concept for 'Avenue Q'.
- The song "How Much Do the People in Your Neighborhood Make?" is a parody of the classic 'Sesame Street' song, exploring the theme of financial disparity, originally intended for the show before it transitioned from a television format to stage production.
- "Rod's Christmas" and "The Holi-daze" are special songs recorded for Broadway's charity album series, 'Carols for a Cure', featuring original cast members from 'Avenue Q'.
- In Avenue Q, the instrumental ensemble includes unique items such as a bell tree, bongos, egg shaker, and vibraslap among others.
- Avenue Q features a song called 'School for Monsters/The Money Song' where Trekkie Monster donates ten million dollars, claiming that 'in volatile market, only stable investment is porn!'.
- The music and lyrics for Avenue Q were written by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, and the book was penned by Jeff Whitty.
Notable Tours
- After Gary Coleman's death in 2010, performances of Avenue Q in New York City and on tour in Dallas were dedicated to his memory.
- The first national tour of Avenue Q began in 2007 and involved the Broadway director and choreographer, covering 22 cities and 721 performances.
- Following its Broadway run, Avenue Q continued to be performed off-Broadway at the New World Stages until 2019.
- "Only in Vegas" was performed on the 'Regis and Kelly' show to promote the Las Vegas production of 'Avenue Q', featuring a puppet operated by Rick Lyon.
- After closing on Broadway, Avenue Q reopened Off-Broadway at New World Stages on October 9, 2009, and ran for a decade until May 26, 2019.
Production Facts
- The musical 'Avenue Q' incorporates various types of puppets, including rod puppets, live-hands puppets, mechanized puppets, and free hand puppets, each requiring different methods of operation.
- Avenue Q won three Tony Awards in 2004 for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score.
- In response to the Muppets' 'Bohemian Rhapsody' video, Avenue Q released a video titled 'We Will Rock Q' on YouTube on May 4, 2010, featuring the Off-Broadway cast performing covers of Queen's 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are the Champions'.
- It premiered Off-Broadway in 2003 at the Vineyard Theatre, co-produced by the Vineyard Theatre and The New Group.
- In a Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit in 2005, Avenue Q and Fiddler on the Roof casts performed a spoof called 'Avenue Jew.'
- The Avenue Q School Edition, created by Music Theatre International, modifies content to be suitable for high school productions, including changes to songs and character names.
- After starting off-Broadway, Avenue Q moved to the Broadway stage later in 2003, where it played for over 2,500 performances until 2009.
- Avenue Q opened at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas in 2005 and closed after nine months due to lower-than-expected attendance, even though a new 1,200-seat theater was built specifically for the production.
- 'Avenue Q' had a successful run both Off-Broadway and on Broadway, winning multiple awards including the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2004 and was particularly notable for its incorporation of puppetry in live theater.
- 'Avenue Q' was pitched as a television show before being developed into a theatrical production, initially presented in a reading to potential producers in 2000.
- Combined, the Broadway and off-Broadway productions of Avenue Q amassed a total of 6,569 performances.
- All of the original main puppeteers in Avenue Q, including John Tartaglia and Stephanie D'Abruzzo, had previously performed on Sesame Street.
- Avenue Q's puppets are intricately designed by original cast member Rick Lyon, with each puppet requiring up to 120 hours of hand fabrication and costing up to $10,000.
- The creators of Avenue Q designed a school-friendly version of the script, making it accessible for younger audiences.
- In Avenue Q, the principal cast consists of four puppeteers and three human actors.
- "It Sucks to Be Me" (reprise) was first introduced in the Las Vegas production of 'Avenue Q' and later made its way into the current off-Broadway show and the licensed script, despite not being part of the original show or cast recording.
- Avenue Q is a musical that features both puppets and human actors, blending mature themes with a format that parodies Sesame Street.
- Trekkie Monster, a reclusive creature obsessed with the Internet, is one of the puppet characters in Avenue Q.
- The puppet characters include Princeton, Kate Monster, and Nicky, among others, who interact with human characters as if they were real.
- Puppeteers are visible on stage and wear plain gray clothing to help maintain focus on the colorful puppet characters.
- The character Brian in Avenue Q is named after Brian Yorkey, who played the role in the original workshop presentations.
- Creators Marx and Lopez had considered casting the real Gary Coleman in Avenue Q, who showed initial interest but ultimately did not participate.
- Gary Coleman, portrayed by a woman in most productions, is depicted as the building superintendent of the fictional Avenue Q.
- Characters Rod and Nicky are parodies of Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie, while Trekkie Monster is reminiscent of Cookie Monster.
