Can You Tell Me How To Get To Avenue Q?
WARSAW — What is “Avenue Q,” you ask? It’s a fictional street, with a fictional neighborhood. Both puppets and humans live on Avenue Q. They interact, they sing songs, they learn life lessons and they try to find their purpose. Sound familiar?
Now on stage at Warsaw’s Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts with nightly shows through Sunday, Sept. 6, “Avenue Q” is a bit like Sesame Street, but with a few notable exceptions. This is an adult musical and with that comes abundant profanity, ”full puppet nudity” (and puppet sex) and many adult themes, such as racism, pornography, homosexuality and schadenfreude (pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others). And, yes, it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious.
Described as a “coming-of-age parable, addressing and satirizing the issues and anxieties associated with entering adulthood,” the musical’s characters of 20-somethings living in New York City lament that as children, they were assured by their parents, and by children’s television programs such as PBS’s “Sesame Street,” that they were “special” and “could do anything.” As adults living on Avenue Q, they have discovered that in the real world their options are limited, and they are no more “special” than anyone else.
The cast includes three human characters and 11 puppets who interact as if human. The puppets are animated and voiced by actor/puppeteers who are onstage, but remain “invisible” relative to the storyline. While a challenge to expect the audience to forget about the puppeteer, the cast was able to do this. My attention was focused on the puppets for the majority of the musical, rather than their human animators. They did a wonderful job making me forget they were there.
The main character is a recent college grad named Princeton (Matthew Janisse) who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. There, he meets girl-next-door, Kate, (Carolyn Anne Miller); Republican, but closet-homosexual, Rod (Javier Ferreira); internet-sexpert, Trekkie (Christopher Robert Duffy), child star turned landlord, Gary Coleman (Tanisha Moore) and other colorful types who help Princeton finally discover his purpose in life. In the midst of that storyline are wonderfully funny songs like “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist,” “If You Were Gay,” and “The More You Ruv Someone,” — sang by the Korean immigrant character, Christmas Eve (Emily Bailey).
If you are uptight, you will not enjoy this production. Unfortunately, there were a few who left opening night’s production during the 15 minute intermission after realizing this. But, if you don’t take yourself too seriously, want to laugh really, really hard and are OK with being a little bit not politically correct for two hours, go see “Avenue Q” at the Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts this week.
For show times and ticket information, go to http://wagonwheelcenter.org/show/avenue-q/ or call the box office at (574) 267-8041