Welcome Neighbor: 'Avenue Q' a Hilarious Hit

◊◊◊◊◊ out of five.  2 hours, 10 minutes, including intermission.  Adult language, sexual content.  Not recommended for children.

This review is brought to you by the letters "A", "Q" and the number "5."

I imagine the shock of audience members unfamiliar with Avenue Q's content is probably equal to the reaction previous generations had when they found out their beloved child star Judy Garland was a pill popping booze-hound off screen.  You see, the puppets and their human friends who inhabit a certain block of the titular street look and (in some cases) sound very much like certain characters who lived on a certain street when we were kids.  Avenue Q, in effect, shows us those characters as adults, not giant yellow 4 year-old birds with imaginary play mates, or giggly best friends sharing an apartment and Rubber Ducky.  No, they have all grown up, bad adult habits and all, so that the imaginary friends are now "Bad Idea Bears" who talk you into buying a case rather than a six pack of beer (you save money in the long run, you know), and the roommates still live together, but one is struggling to come out of the closet, while the other preaches acceptance, while making it very clear he is NOT "that way."  You may be thinking, "Nothing's sacred any more."  But you will likely be very surprised and extremely happy to know that, in spite of the language and sex, this Tony-winning musical which opened last night at Baltimore's Hippodrome, this is a very honest, heartfelt look at The Common angst and hang-ups that we all feel as we grow up and learn the harsher lessons of life that Public Television kindly left out. 

This is the story of Princeton, fresh out of college and on his own for the first time.  He is on the search for a place to live and to find his purpose in life.  Finances being what they are, he can only afford Avenue Q, a somewhat slummier version of that "other" street.  There he meets some human friends, Brian, a would-be stand up comic and his fiance, Christmas Eve, a would-be therapist with two degrees and no clients, and the superintendent of the street, Gary Coleman, former child star (just go with it…)  Then there are his fellow puppet friends, the "people", roommates Rod and Nicky, an entertainer aptly named Lucy T. Slut, and the "monsters" Kate Monster, a shy furry Kindergarten assistant, and Trekkie Monster, a, um, computer entrepreneur.  Even as adults, the street is filled with a multi-cultural/multi-species mix that gets along just swell.   

But the book by Tony-winner Jeff Whitty, and music and lyrics by Tony-winners Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx teaches us lessons we never dreamed of as kids.  Among the more choice bits are "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist,"  "Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love)," and my personal favorite, "Schadenfreude" - German for finding pleasure in another person's pain.  Of course, not all of the lessons are pointing out the bad in folks.  "Mix Tape" is a touching ode to flirting through music, "There's a Fine, Fine Line," a sweet song about disappointment, the very hopeful "Fantasies Come True," about having dreams and having them actually happen, and the very true "I Wish I Could Go Back to College," for all of us who ever said, "If I only knew then what I know now!" The real surprise for most people, I think, is the shocking realization that after all the gimmick and tomfoolery, you find yourself caring - deeply - about what happens to these characters.  Just listen to the audience around you when a first kiss is shared, or when estranged friends reunite. 

Directed by Jason Moore and choreographed by Ken Roberson, this show shoots out of the gate like a Preakness winner and never lets up until the thoroughly satisfying conclusion.  Told through the spot-on filter of children's television - catchy, repetitive, simply worded ditties, and short, meaningful scenes -  Avenue Q is gut-bustingly funny and miraculously clever from start to finish.  The set, designed by Anna Louizos, is a character unto itself, full of little apartments with mini furniture, and top windows just right for gossiping from.  To really make this a trip down memory lane, in between scenes, there are projected cartoons about jobs equaling purpose, relationship words and even some counting!  You will laugh heartily at these! 

What really makes this show the high caliber entertainment that it is, though, is the jaw-dropping amount of talent this cast of seven actors has.  The opening night cast included Cole Porter as Brian, the human "guy" of the cast, who is funny and proves to be quite the punching bag for his wife, Christmas Eve, played with a deliciously irreverent skewering of all things Asian by Jennie Kwan.  Her thick, over the top accent is a scream, and her "When You Ruv Someone" is a highlight of act two.  Rounding out the humans in the cast is Carla Renata as Gary Coleman.  She does a funny impersonation of the minute actor (I'm thinking that's why they have a woman playing the role, much like a woman playing Peter Pan), and when she gets to let loose in a couple of numbers, you can see what fantastic singing voice she has, particularly in "Loud as the Hell You Want."  All three look to be having a ball with this witty material, landing each and every joke with the requisite twinkle in the eye and tongue in cheek. 

Four actors play all of the puppet characters, often playing multiple characters at once - they literally have conversations with themselves on occasion.  It should be noted that, unlike on TV, in Avenue Q you can see the actors manipulate and voice the puppets.  Minglie Chen, a tiny woman, is magic on her feet as she assists another actor with the large Trekkie Monster puppet and serves as one arm of another puppet, Nicky.  She gives voice, and riotously so, to a character best named "Mrs. T" for this publication, and as one of the Bad Idea Bears. 

David Benoit gives voice to the, um, sexually aware Trekkie Monster, one of the Bears and to Nicky.  His voice characterizations are intentionally similar to characters from a similar street, but he still manages to give each character their own unique spin, always with an eye toward making them humanly accessible.  His "The Internet is for Porn" duet with Kate Monster is a total show-stopper (and you'll hum it for days after you see it). 

Kelli Sawyer, a veteran of the Las Vegas Company, plays both Kate Monster and Lucy T. Slut.  Her vastly different characterizations are cleanly delineated, all more remarkable because she often has a conversation with herself.  She gives a very heart-warming, sweet, and definitely grounded performance as the sweet, furry Kate.  You really start to feel for this young monster - she comes close to tearing your heart out, I swear.  And Ms. Sawyer is a decadent tramp/vamp as the aptly named bosom-ly enhanced Lucy.  Her "Special" is a trashy, torchy delight. 

Finally, in the principal roles of Rod, uptight Republican with a secret and Princeton, 22 year-old on the rise, Rob McClure gives an intense, heart-felt performance.  As much running around as he must do, and the consistently physical performance he gives (on top of manipulating the puppets), it is a wonder the man doesn't sweat to death.  A veteran of the Broadway production (there he played Trekkie and Nicky), McClure manipulates those puppets with the ease and grace of a veteran, and it is often hard to tell where the puppet ends and the man starts. McClure is what you might call a quadruple threat - he acts, sings, dances and puppeteers with great gusto and skill.  His work in the notorious "sex scene" is uproarious, and he is sweetly touching in Rod's "Fantasies Come True" dream sequence. 

The puppets (designed by master puppeteer and AQ veteran Rick Lyon) are part of the conceit of the show, but they, and the actors who play them are profoundly human.  Much has been written about Avenue Q's Tony win for Best Musical over Wicked.  And while it may not have the lavish spectacle, special effects and costumes of the latter, it more than makes up for it in heart and purpose.  It is a nearly perfect spoof of a unique genre, it has complete characters, a satisfying plot and, perhaps most importantly, themes that are completely universal, be you man, woman or monster.  The recent spate of "girl power" musicals - Wicked, Hairspray, Legally Blonde - are all great for empowering females.  But Avenue Q gets what they are missing - it is empowering ALL people to make a difference, think about others, and deal with life's problems.  In short, it is what all Best Musicals should be: it is clever and tuneful and it leaves you better off than when you arrived at the theatre.

 

NOTE:  All of the press materials warn that this production is inappropriate for children.  That is very true.  Were this a movie, it would be rated "R" for explicit language and sexual situations. 

PHOTOS by Carol Rosegg.  TOP to BOTTOM: The Cast of Avenue Q; Princeton, Rob McClure, Kate Monster, Kelli Sawyer; Princeton, Rob McClure, Cole Porter; Carla Renata, Minglie Chen, Nicky, David Benoit; Lucy T. Slut, Kelli Sawyer; Kate Monster, Kelli Sawyer; Minglie Chen, Rod, Nicky, Rob McClure.

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