Avenue Opens at Gielgud After Noel Coward, 1 Jun

Avenue Q, which closes on 28 March at the Noel Coward (See News, 17 Oct 2008), has announced it will reopen at the Gielgud Theatre on 1 June 2009, where it’s initially booking to 26 September.

The puppet musical, billed as an adult version of Sesame Street, has been running at the Noel Coward since June 2006, having premiered Off-Broadway in 2004, going on to win three Tony Awards that year.

Speaking about the decision to continue its West End residency, producer Cameron Mackintosh said today: “I was rather surprised when the show opened in 2006 that the British national critics mostly didn’t get it and predicted that it would only last three months. Three years later Q is going stronger than ever, so much so that ever since I announced the last six months at the Coward … business has surged to such an extent that I’m delighted to announce that Avenue Q is going to continue its run on the Avenue – Shaftesbury that is – at the start of June.”

Avenue Q follows Alan Bennett’s Enjoy at the Gielgud, which finishes its run on 16 May. Replacing it at the Noel Coward is the Chichester Festival Theatre production of Calendar Girls, which opens on 20 April 2009 (previews from 4 April).

Avenue Q has a score by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, and a book by Jeff Whitty, with puppets conceived and designed by Rick Lyon, musical supervision by Stephen Oremus, and choreography by Ken Roberson. Amongst the London show’s accolades, it won the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Award for Best Ensemble Performance.

– by Theo Bosanquet