Avenue Q

Angella

Original music, witty words, great acting, puppets 5th November 2008

1 found this helpful

Best and most memorable stage show I've seen for years.
The actors hold puppets and sing like ventriloguists. Very sophisticated puppets. Huge puppets. You almost think they are alive and forget the person behind controlling the puppet and singing.
The characters are hilarious.
I bought the music on CD. When you try to sing along you realise how good the singers are. Spanning a couple of octaves, hitting high notes, and a final note which goes on forever until you are completely out of breath but the singer is still holding the no-o-o-ote ........................ !
Since the CD has the words printed out, you can catch up on any clever lines you missed.
It is so witty.
My favourite scenes are between the character who protests that he isn't gay, whilst his flatmate protests 'I'd like you anyway.'
Totally unsuitable for children, as the theatre told us. One scene shows a male and female puppet having sex and their amusing comments - what she's thinking, what he's thinking.
You might not want to take granny. Or your religious married friends who are God fearing and talk about the bible. You get the idea. Songs have words like The Internet Is For Porn. I sat next to my religious friends and to avoid embarrassment could not comment on the play but had to make conversation about London transport all through the interval.
Americans of course know what Avenue Q is all about. Took me a while to figure out what's going on. Avenue Q is towards the end of the alphabet, a street way beyond third rate. The characters in the building are all modern 'misfits', flatmates and married couples and courting couples. Those who get on at first will fall out mid-way and those who fall out will get back together.

sue

The internet is for porn...apparently 28th April 2008

3 found this helpful

I wasn't keen. I mean, who really wants to see a musical featuring puppets? I went anyway, and hoped the rave reviews I had read weren't all written by the producer…

As it turned out, Avenue Q was fantastic - hilarious, crude, offensive, risqué - the type of show that makes you cry from laughter.

A couple of parts bored me a little, and it went on for a bit too long IMO, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not something I would take my parents to see though - too much puppet sex for their liking ; )

Glen_Bailey

Puppets on Stage 13th February 2008

3 found this helpful

Firstly as a word of warning, if you've packed up your life in your home country to come and live in the UK and find that dream job - and find yourself doing repetitive data-entry where you have plenty of free time to ponder why you're here and where your life is going, then you might want to stear clear of Avenue Q (at least until you have more of a grip on your life).

If however, you have a resonable grip on your life, then what could be funnier than spending an evening with a bunch of colourful, loud, brash and downright hilarious puppets (oh, and the actual humans controlling them too).

Since puppets made the move out Seasame St et al and into the general arena of real life theatre - the world has become a better place. There are things that puppets can do on-stage that people would struggle to get away with (like walking around with someone's hand up your ....) or having flip-top heads or being cute little carebear type seemingly acid trip based characters who float around coaxing others to do bad things.

The musical struts along at a steady pace, with musical interludes, puppet sex scenes, a big, hairy monster who loves porn and is not affraid to let all in sundry know and the occasional audience member left in fits of laughter (and laughter is contagious so it's not long before those around start laughing at the person who is laughing at the puppets who in turn are laughing at the original laughing audience member!).

For those of you who think that Avenue Q is the first production to have puppets doing ridiculous things - I'd like to add that before Peter Jackson (of Lord of the Rings/King Kong fame) became famous, he made a movie called "Meet The Feebles". It's filthily good!

Overall, Avenue Q is an evening well spent - but be prepared to walk out with sore facial and stomach mussels from all the laughing.

Enjoy!

JehonaGjurgjeala

Hillarious and very, very smart 23rd August 2007

6 found this helpful

Avenue Q has managed to do what many artists, writers, plays, films etc - fail to do. It has succeeded in observing many everyday situations in a (sometimes brutally) honest way, in a very humorous but unpretentious way. If you are easily offended or prone to taking things seriously - dont waste the money. If you are up for some mind-tickling fun - dont miss it!

amyjsharpe

Avenue Q 1st May 2007

4 found this helpful

This is the best thing at the theatre for a very long time - its hilarious and sooo funny. Basically think of the Muppets that drink, smoke and have sex, combined with their adult companions...receipe for utter comedy. Go and see it - worth every penny!