Las Vegas Avenue Q to Cut Songs for Shorter Running Time

By: Jan. 19, 2006
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According to an article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, audiences of the Las Vegas production of Avenue Q can expect to see a little less of the show.

The show "will now clock in between 89 and 96 minutes, losing two songs and some dialogue from the original version," and the intermission will be dropped. Co-producer Kevin McCollum decided to shorten the running time with the goal of getting the musical down to 90 minutes. Although the new running time would allow the Vegas Avenue Q to cost as much at 10 performances a week under Actors Equity union contracts as it would for the longer show at 8 performances, McCollum stated that he primarily made the cuts for other reasons: "Our 6:30 showtime we felt was losing audience."

Avenue Q will now start at 7 PM at the Wynn Vegas' Broadway Theatre, the performance space built specifically to house the show. The new schedule will go into effect tonight. As there are two performances on Thursday evenings, the later show (which will still begin at 10 PM), will now finish at around 11:30 instead of at midnight.

"People don't want to sit for an hour and 45 minutes," McCollum stated of the earlier running time. "Given there is so much to do in Vegas, it just seemed, why are we not putting up showtimes that better fit the rhythm of our customer?" In the new version, "I Wish I Could Go Back to College" has been replaced by "There's A Fine, Fine Line," which was pushed to a later spot in the musical. "There Is Life Outside Your Apartment," the second-act opener, will also be gone.

With the upcoming productions of The Phantom of the Opera and Hairspray also condensed, Mamma Mia! will be the only Broadway musical playing in Vegas to feature an intermission and two acts.

Avenue Q continues to be a hit at Broadway's John Golden Theatre (where it recently reached 1,000 performances); it features a Tony Award-winning book by Jeff Whitty and a Tony Award-winning book by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx.

Avenue Q, which opened on Broadway on July 31st 2003, blends puppets and people in a sweetly R-rated tale of love, sex, friendship and the search for purpose. The Broadway production of the show currently stars Barrett Foa, Mary Faber, Christian Anderson and original stars Ann Harada, Jordan Gelber, Natalie Venetia Belcon and Jennifer Barnhart. A London production is also set to open soon; the character of Gary Coleman will be cut for the transfer.

The Las Vegas production of Avenue Q, which does not run on Wednesdays, currently plays one evening show on Mondays, one evening show on Tuesdays, two evening shows on Thursdays, two evening shows on Fridays, two evening shows on Saturdays and two evening shows on Sundays.

For tickets to the Las Vegas production, visit the following link. For more information, visit www.avenueq.com.



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