Avenue Q

Synopsis

Avenue Q is not the most upmarket of New York streets, and is about as far away from Park Avenue as you can get, but it is home to some lively and off the wall characters performed by an unholy comedic alliance of humans and puppets! Princeton, a bright-eyed college graduate, has just moved to this neighbourhood as he desperately tries to follow his dreams and discover his ever-elusive purpose in life. A tiny bank balance, the distraction of a busty blonde and a variety of weird and wonderful friends and neighbours lead Princeton on a hilarious story of self-discovery. Life may suck on Avenue Q but being jobless, homeless, politically incorrect, having sex (whether hetero, homo or porno... and that s just the puppets) are just some of the topics featured in the terrific songs of this show.

Our Review:

Scott Purvis - 15 May 2012

More educationally focused on STDs than ABCs, Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez's brilliant Avenue Q is a jaw-achingly funny pastiche of children's television and the twenty-something rom-com.

With songs like "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" and "The Internet is for Porn", the cute and crude puppets of Jeff Whitty’s quickly written - and aptly “whitty”- musical teach moralistic lessons to their adult audience, articulating truths about life and relationships which subtly cut through the fluffy covering of this Tony Award winning show.

Avenue Q is a long walk from Sesame Street. Princeton, an out of work English Literature graduate, moves into the neighbourhood to find his purpose and expectedly fails miserably. Instead, he finds a host of colourful and recognisable characters, each dissatisfied with their lot in life and reaching for that end of episode happy ever after.

Oscar the Grouch would not dare to dwell in the dented garb...

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Latest User Review

David Baxter - 20 June 2012:

When Avenue Q arrived in the West End in 2006 it instantly became one of my favourite shows and remained that way through several return visits so seeing the touring version at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend is like a reunion with old friends. Unlike some touring shows (Spamalot) this is an exact replica of the Broadway / West End production and from the moment Princeton makes his entrance to his departure I sat there with a warm glow and a soppy grin. Most of the performances are West End standard and Julie Yammanee is possibly the best Christmas Eve I've yet seen. Unfortunately Katharine Moraz, despite a nice singing voice, lacks the comic personality of the incomparable Julie Atherton as Kate/Lucy and her puppet skills left a bit to be desired. Yet again Avenue Q proved to be the perfect show to lift the spirits and make me completely forget that I had booked on the same day as England v. Ukraine, but there was an element of sadness that this will probably be the last evening shared with Princeton, Kate et al....

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