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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Avenue Q

19:26 / 30.03.06

Since stumbling over film clips of the Broadway musical Avenue Q I've been a little obsessed with the songs from this snappy show. Ordered in the soundtrack from America, trying to work out whether I can afford to see it when it opens in the West End (I can but it means that's my holiday for the year...does a weekend at the theatre equate to a week at the seaside?)

Anyway, I wondered if anyone had seen it and whether it's as good as it seems to be?

16:52 / 31.03.06

I've seen it. It's the best Broadway show I've seen in years -- much better than Spamalot! or even The Producers.

It assumes a certain familarity with Sesame Street and the Muppets, but from what I gather The Muppet Show (if not Sesame Street) was pretty popular in the U.K.

17:37 / 31.03.06

Oh! Oh!

I stumbled across this after seeing a video of "the internet is for porn" made using World of Warcraft. Went to check out the clips on the site and then had to buy the album from iTunes. I'm really, really taken with the album and I'm seriously thinking about a London trip when it opens down there mid-year.

The songs are fantastic, seems like a new one of them got stuck on loop in my head every day for a week or two.

I really, really want to see this show.

17:51 / 31.03.06

<< . . . Ordered in the soundtrack from America, . . . >>
.............
Not a soundtrack, but the Original Cast Recording. (Soundtracks are from movies and teevee shows. The Theatre Nerd in me now rests.)

The London version will change Gary Coleman to someone (?) with whom British audiences will be more familiar, so apparently there will be substantial changes in the text & lyrics.

It's a very enjoyable show; saw it in NYC and Vegas. And I am now my office's official Bad Idea Bear, though they never know what the hell I'm talking about.

19:35 / 31.03.06

Could someone who knows about the show tell me what it's all about and why it's so good?

I know I could google it but I'd rather hear what a bunch of 'lithers have to say than read a faceless link.

20:01 / 31.03.06

Really? I think Gary Coleman is pretty well known here, particularly by the kind of people who would watch Avenue Q.

And I do know the difference between Soundtrack and Original Cast Recording, I'm just lazy. I have a degree in Theatre Studies so I should know better.

Sesame Street is well known over here, by the way. The similarity between Rod and Nicky and Bert and Ernie will be easily noticed.

iamus, that's pretty much exactly my experience too. Spooky.

And what's it about?

Princeton is a young puppet straight out of college with no idea what he's going to do in life (What do you do with a B.A. in English?) and the only place he can afford to rent is in the down at heel Avenue Q where everyone is in a similar rut (hence It sucks to be me).

There he makes friends with Trekkie Monster (like Cookie Monster but with less social skills), unemployed wannabe comedian Brian, his asian american fiance Christmas Eve (who sings the show stopping Ballad (the more you ruv someone), Rod (repressed homosexual conservative) his flatmate, the slacker Nicky, the superintendant Gary Coleman ("I'm Gary Coleman from T.V.'s Different Strokes, I made a lot of money that got stolen by my folks) and most particularly Katie Monster who he gradually falls in love with.

The plot throws in Brian and Eves marriage, Princton and Kate getting together and splitting up when he sleeps with a slutty puppet, Rods eventual coming out (after singing about his fake girlfriend from Canada) and basically adresses the way life is in that post college pre rest of your life gap with songs dealing with modern life like 'Everyones a little bit racist', 'The Internet (is for porn).

There are gloriously sweet ballads like 'There's a fine, fine line', and the sweet 'I wish I could go back to college' and culminates with a charity drive to make Kates dream of a school for monsters come true.

It ends with Princeton and Kate back together (For Now).

It's very much reflective of my life and probably a lot more peoples too. And it's funny, the songs are catchy, as clever as The Simpsons, and you can hear excerpts of songs on their Broadway website or see fan made videos or clips from productions over at www.youtube.com, if you search for Avenue Q, The Internet is for porn, or Everyones a little but racist.

20:06 / 31.03.06

Thanks Dave

20:41 / 31.03.06

<< I think Gary Coleman is pretty well known here, particularly by the kind of people who would watch Avenue Q. >>
................
I didn't know that, but apparently the writers & producers feel it's a necessary change. I'll try to dig up the article & paste it here.

20:47 / 31.03.06

18/2/06:

Avenue Q to Land at London's Noël Coward Theatre on June 1
by Broadway.com Staff

Avenue Q, the 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, has set its London plans. The show will begin performances at the newly renamed Noël Coward Theatre (formerly the Albery Theatre) on June 1.
Avenue Q features music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and a book by Jeff Whitty, based on an original concept by Lopez and Marx. In the show, singing puppets and their human neighbors tackle life's most vexing issues--including love, sex, money, race and how to tell your roommate he's gay.

The West End cast of Avenue Q will feature Jon Robyns as Princeton and Rod, Simon Lipkin as Nicky and Trekkie Monster, Julie Atherton as Kate Monster and Lucy The Slut, Clare Foster as Mrs T., Naoko Mori as Christmas Eve, Sion Lloyd as Brian and Giles Terera as Job. The company also includes Luke Evans, Matthew J. Henry, Gloria Onitiri, Gabriel Vick and Yanle Zhong. Original director Jason Moore will repeat his duties overseas.
..................
No mention of the Gary Coleman role. Back to research . . .

20:50 / 31.03.06

Wait a minute . . . I just read the article I pasted above: Who the hell is "Job?"

07:46 / 01.04.06

Well either they've adapted it so that an unlucky biblical character lives on Avenue Q or they've mis-spelled the name of the guy who likes to read 'Broadway musicals of the 1940's' alone in his bedroom.

09:35 / 01.04.06

And to give something of a flavour of the show compare and contrast this list from 'Schadenfreude' to Marias Favourite Things in the Sound of Music -

Straight-A students getting Bs?
Exes getting STDs!
Waking doormen from their naps!
Watching tourists reading maps!
Football players getting tackled!
CEOs getting shackled!
Watching actors never reach
The ending of their oscar speech!

17:39 / 01.04.06

<< Well either they've adapted it so that an unlucky biblical character lives on Avenue Q or they've mis-spelled the name of the guy who likes to read 'Broadway musicals of the 1940's' alone in his bedroom. >>
...............
Nope, they list Jon Robyns as playing Princeton and Rod.

Curious.

15:37 / 25.08.06

Oh my sweet dancing Jesus! Last week my mate Rachel decided on the spur of the moment to go to London for an overnight and I decided I was up for a bit of that. Whilst there we saw, at my insistance, Avenue Q...and it's great. Truly great. Hysterically funny. Honestly emotional. Warmly witty. Technically clever. Very true.

I loved every moment, once my nerves about my mates not liking it faded away. Naoko Mori isn't in the cast (isn't she making that Who spin off?) so the divine Ann Harada reprises her role from the Broadway production. It shouldn't be possible to steal the show with the part of Christmas Eve but she did. When she walked on the stage lit up.

The set is a work of technical genius, cleverly constructed, and multi functional, and the ensemble perfectly cast.

And though they've changed some of his dialogue...Gary Coleman is still in the show!

You need to see this show! I've seen a lot of plays and musicals and spent a lot of time at the theatre but I don't remember enjoying anything this much. When I wasn't laughing my head off I was grinning like a loon and yet there were still moments that were touching. Genius!

miss wonderstarr

18:19 / 25.08.06

Yes, they've changed one line in "everyone's a riddle bit lacist" so it's anti-French ~ which I felt fell a bit flat really, as the show is set in New York and there's no point pandering to perceived British prejudices. I'm sure a London audience would have got it if Gary Coleman had referred to "stupid Polacks" as he did in the original.

11:19 / 26.08.06

There are lots of similarly small changes which make you wonder why they did it...

"Tried to work in Korean Deli,
But I am Japanese"

became

"Tried to work in Chinese Restraunt,
But I am Japanese"

for example. As well as snipping verses from other songs they changed Gary Colemans introductory song. It's not clear to me whether they changed it for clarity or to remove the reference to Diff'rent Strokes.

Still...a great night out. If you can see it, you should.