Avenue Q (Tour – Oxford)

I am not sure why but this review has proven trickier to write than most. Not because the show is bad –but simply because so much has been said about it over the course of the past 6 years (longer if you include the US production.)

I am a fan of the piece – it is witty, intelligent, touching and full of rude bits! The music and lyrics fit the adult Sesame Street feel perfectly and it is a good night out in the theatre.

In many ways, it is surprising that it has taken so long to reach Oxford – a city with the greatest percentage of students in the UK. Certainly the audience for Avenue Q has a lower average age than almost any other show I have seen in this city. The production itself is almost at risk of being lost in the cavernous space of the New Theatre – but luckily the performances are big enough to carry it through.

It is a small but talented cast – with Chris Thatcher stealing the show as Nicky and Trekkie, his experience with the production over many years shines through. Sam Lupton does a fine job as Princeton/Rod as does Katharine Moraz as Kate/Lucy.

It is a good production of a great little musical – not, perhaps, as perfect as when I saw it in London – but certainly one of the best tours out there at the moment.