Review: AVENUE Q at City Theatre Austin

The puppets in Avenue Q look like they could teach your children the alphabet. Then they open their mouths, and the lesson takes a very different turn.

City Theatre Austin’s production is funny, completely irreverent, and performed by a strong cast. There is an over-the-top puppet sex scene, a song celebrating pornography, and a cheerful declaration that everyone is a little bit racist. A little cringe at times? Sure. But I am not about to clutch my pearls over a bit of theatrical comedy!

With music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and a book by Jeff Whitty, Avenue Q premiered in 2003 and won the 2004 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Original Score. It borrows the puppets and educational format of Sesame Street to explore the things childhood television never quite prepared us for: unemployment, relationships, bills, and the disappointment of discovering that being special does not automatically make you employable.

The story follows Princeton (Daniel Ponce), a recent college graduate who arrives in New York with an English degree, limited money, and dreams of finding his purpose. His budget lands him on Avenue Q, among neighbors whose lives have also wandered away from whatever plans they once had.

There is Kate Monster (Cait Rudd), a teaching assistant looking for love and dreaming of opening a school for monsters; Lucy The Slut (Zoe Karahouni Peterson), a seductress whose name requires little explanation; Rod (James Monreal), a closeted gay Republican and financial advisor; and Nicky (Justin LaVergne), his lazy, messy roommate.

Christmas Eve (Alana Bui) is a Japanese therapist written with broad cultural stereotypes, whose American groom, Brian (Chase Lancaster), is an unemployed aspiring comedian. Trekkie Monster (Steven Miller) has an enthusiastic relationship with internet pornography, and their superintendent is a fictionalized Gary Coleman (Lauren Ryan-Holt). Yes, that Gary Coleman. As Princeton’s relationship with Kate develops, the adorable Bad Idea Bears (Doris Velez-Gilbert and Riemann Verdeflor) encourage choices that do very little to improve either his love life or his finances.

The show makes fun of everything and everyone. The stereotypes are broad, the behavior is often terrible, and nobody holds the moral high ground for long. “The Internet Is for Porn” derails Kate’s attempt at an educational lesson, while “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” puts uncomfortable admissions about prejudice into a tune cheerful enough to make you question what you are singing along to. Then there is the puppet sex scene, which leaves very little to the imagination. Quite an accomplishment for characters made of felt.

What I notice, though, is how much of the material has lost its ability to shock. In 2003, these innocent-looking puppets and their adult behavior must have made quite an impression. Watching in 2026, many of the outrageous scenes and lines feel familiar. Is the internet full of porn? Yes, we have noticed. Do people harbor prejudices? Absolutely. But in the era of Epstein and amid today’s political climate, I find the casual acceptance of internet porn and blatant racism more cringe-inducing than funny.

Those reservations aside, the production is well executed, and the message behind the jokes still feels relevant. These characters want meaningful work, love, acceptance, and enough money to get through the month. They think they should be further along by now. Who hasn’t felt that? The musical finds plenty of comedy in their mistakes, but it also gives us reasons to care about them.

Under Matthew Shead’s direction, with musical direction by Carrie deLapp Culver, every cast member delivers. The rented puppets come alive in the actors’ hands. I can see the performers operating them, yet I become invested in the puppets’ conversations, disappointments, and questionable decisions. Singing, acting, and giving each puppet its own personality take considerable skill.

The set, by Andy Berkpvsky and Gene Berry, is fabulous and functional, making excellent use of the small stage. And the voices! Everyone sounds great, and I can hear them over the live band, something I have learned not to take for granted in a venue this small. So much of the comedy depends on the lyrics that losing the words means losing the jokes. Here, the balance allows us to enjoy both the music and the performances.

Avenue Q may not shock me, although I may shock some audience members! But City Theatre gives it plenty of life. I would happily spend another evening with these neighbors. However, I would not take their advice.

Avenue Q
Music and Lyrics by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez.
Book by Jeff Whitty.
Directed by Matthew Shead

Now playing through September 13, 2026
Thursdays-Sundays

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