If Sesame Street and A Crack Addict Mated…

Rent, The Phantom of the Opera, The Producers, Les Miserables…Fuck ’em. I have a new favorite musical and it’s so good that regardless of musical tastes, or enjoyment of theatre, everyone enjoys it.
Last month, as a holiday present, my sister, brother-in-law and I went to see a performance of Avenue Q. This musical, brought up from Off Broadway to Broadway (which is a difficult task) has won countless awards, and for good reason.
Some uninformed theatre critics may say that Avenue Q has gained success because it has a gimmick, which is that it uses puppets as some of its main characters. I too had this opinion, but after the first musical number, What do you do with a B.A. in English?/ It Sucks to Be Me, I was sold.
Avenue Q takes the idea of Sesame Street, using puppets and human actors to teach life lessons, and sticks a lit M-80 up its butt. This show is definitely not for children. With songs like “If you were gay”, “The internet is for porn” and my personal favorite, “Everyone’s a little bit racist” this show is strictly for adults.
There is a plot, I promise. Princeton (a puppet, voiced and performed brilliantly by John Tartaglia) just graduated college finds himself an apartment on Avenue Q. He sets out to find his purpose in life, and living his life outside of college in the real world. I may add at this time that the super of this dilapidated apartment building is none other than Gary Coleman. Yes, THE Gary Coleman, who is not played by himself but rather a very funny and talented woman named Natalie Venetia Belcon.
Living in the apartment building along side Princeton, and Gary Coleman are a crazy group of puppets and humans. There is Kate Monster , a puppet, who has dreams of opening up her monster school and finding a boyfriend. There are Brian and Christmas Eve, two humans, trying to get by without having jobs. A puppet named Trekkie Monster (who suspiciously resembles Cookie Monster) a monosyllabic monster that enjoys, what else, internet pornography, and two roommate puppets, Rod (a closet homosexual) and Nicky (a fun loving slob who tries to get Rod to feel comfortable expressing his sexuality.) Rod and Nicky also very closely mirror Sesame Streets closeted homosexual and fun loving slob, Burt and Ernie.
Asides from being ridiculously hilarious, Avenue Q also makes a lot of good points, very relevant in this day and age. Issues such as homosexuality, racism, love, and finding ones purpose are all raised, leaving audience members feeling both very amused, and very refreshed. It proved itself to be beyond just a show where puppets curse and talk about adult things (Crank Yankers, anyone) and it actually delivered messages about life.
I can honestly say I have never laughed this hard in my whole life, beating out the time that bitchy Jamie Freedman came on stage in Grease with her skirt tucked into her underwear at summer camp in 6th grade. Even if you don’t like musicals, you will like Avenue Q, if not just for puppets saying fuck a lot.

2 replies on “If Sesame Street and A Crack Addict Mated…”

Excellent review, I have been meaning to see Avenue Q as I have heard excellent things about it. I will make sure to see it now. Funny coincidence: I spoke with an old friend of my mothers at a recent funeral and she was asking me if i was a theatre major (i go to a theatre school) and told me that her wrote the lyrics and dialogue for Avenue Q and she could set me up to speak with him. After the confession that I was but a lowly english/photo major the offer was rescinded. Anyway, thought you might be interested…

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