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Last Updated: Oct 16th, 2008 - 13:33:17 |
It's the perfect mix of puppets, porn, profanity. And purpose.
Avenue Q, the Broadway musical that has gained not only a massive cult following -- but also worldwide popularity -- comes to Denver through Sept. 21. While it's no Phantom of the Opera or Les Miserables, Avenue Q does what few musicals can do: make you laugh and generally feel good about yourself. With songs like "It sucks to be me," "Shadenfreude," and "For Now," you can't leave the Ellie Caulkins Opera House without humming and skipping. At least on the inside.
With music by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, the show, that is not suitable for children under 13, has won three Tony Awards. A cast mixed with puppets and humans, Avenue Q, was created by Lopez and Marx, fresh out of college. Beyond puppets, the show mixes media and disco balls. A little bit of Cinemax and a lot of Sesame Street.
The show originally opened March 2003 off Broadway and was moved three months later to Broadway's John Golden Theatre.
The musical follows college grad Princeton. Loaded with a B.A. in English, Princeton comes to New York to find his purpose. Sadly, the only apartment he can afford resides on Avenue Q. Among his neighbors are the slacker Nicky and his Republican investment banker roommate Rod. There's the unemployed comedian Brian and his fiancee Christmas Eve. Kate Monster, the lonely education assistant, quickly becomes the object of Brian's affection. Oh, and of course child star Gary Coleman is Brian's superintendent. By the end of musical, it's crystal clear: nothing comes easy, even for puppets.
Or the touring cast for the show.
In the first night, both Kate Monster's -- the leading female -- and Brain's portrayers skipped out. Cole Porter, in between numbers. While the understudies worked, the show undeniably missed some magic. Three characters stand out: the "oriental" wife of Brian, Christmas Eve and the Bad Idea Bears, who at every turn guide Princeton down the wrong path.
While there was no doubt a few visible mistakes -- the key is for the audience not to catch on -- Avenue Q will do well in Denver in the hearts of young and old who ever had to find his or her purpose.
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