If you grew up from the 70s onwards the chances are
you’ll have spent many a happy hour watching Sesame Street, the groundbreaking
American kids show that, as well as teaching us all to count with the help of
the world’s least scary vampire, also tackled some of the challenges of those
tricky years between 5 and 13. Although nothing to do with Sesame Street (at
least not officially, although clearly this is a loving pastiche of the show
from the enthusiastic delivery of lines to the upbeat melodies and retro
graphics on the TV screens) Avenue Q takes this basic template and looks at those
even trickier years between 23 and...well...it’s all pretty tricky when you
think about it.
Focussing on a young graduate called Princeton and
his move away from home to the big bad city the plot should be pretty familiar
to any Millennials out there. Armed with a degree he thinks he’s got life made
but it turns out that life’s not so simple. Add a little love interest into the
mix together with a porn obsessed monster, former Different Strokes child star
Gary Coleman (not the real one obviously, he’s a little dead sadly), a busty
femme fatale, a closet queen and several other deliciously observed characters
and you’ve got the ingredients for one of the wittiest, most irreverent and fun
musicals ever staged, packed with addictively catchy songs, smart dialogue
and...er...the odd bit of puppet on puppet action.
Unlike most puppet shows the actors / operators are
in full view throughout the action – which must be the acting equivalent of
patting your head and rubbing your stomach – but within minutes it’s easy to
forget they’re there (in the nicest possible way). As if that wasn’t impressive
enough several play multiple parts too, notably Stephen Arden (hilarious as
Trekkie Monster), Richard Lowe (you can’t help but love his Rod, as it were) and
Sarah Harlington (feisty but cute as Kate and sl-utterly wonderful as Lucy) all
of whom acted and sang their collective socks off. Although puppet-less the
three human stars of the show also squeeze the full comic potential out of
their respective roles, Araina Ii as Christmas Eve...or Clistmas Eve as she’d
put it (PC this show ain’t but hell, Everyone’s A Little Bit Lacist), Etisyai
Philip as the relentlessly optimistic Gary Coleman and Richard Morse as Christmas’
happy go lucky but ever so slightly henpecked hubbie to be, Brian.
Latent homosexuality, porn, racism, homelessness,
poverty, suicide, shattered dreams...Avenue Q covers some pretty serious themes
but somehow the writers and performers manage to find humour in pretty much everything.
The tunes are instantly memorable (I’m still singing ‘It Sucks To Be Me’ a good
12 hours after the show), some of the material makes you think without being
too preachy but most of all you’ll find yourself laughing out loud...genuine stomach
wobbling belly laughs (see in particular The Internet Is For Porn and that
puppet sex scene) in a way that few shows come close to. And if that isn’t your
(Avenue) ‘Q’ to snap up a ticket in the next 30 seconds then, quite frankly, “it
sucks to be you!”
Avenue
Q is on at Exeter Northcott until Saturday June 4th. Tickets right here right now!
No comments:
Post a Comment