BWW Reviews: Phoenix Theatre's AVENUE Q

What do you get when you join a group of apartment dwellers, lively music and adult-based humor with a story line told by puppets? Tony Award-winner (2003), Avenue Q, returns to The Phoenix Theatre, Indianapolis, for an encore performance due to its popularity.

Wanna Be, Never Was and Once Was folks all end up in this not-so-affluent neighborhood and have to learn to live together in these "politically correct" times. Sharing their stories through song, the characters learn that everyone has prejudices and stereotypes are still lurking behind every party joke.

Without getting on a soapbox, puppets (and their handlers) Kate Monster, Brian, Princeton, Lucy The Slut and others help bridge the gap between child and adulthood.

"Everyone's a Little Bit Racist," lends itself to the reality check that no one is truly without prejudices, while "It Sucks to be me," allows that no one has a perfect life.

In a pleasantly bizarre, Sesame Street-meets-The Breakfast Club kind of way, Avenue Q gets its point across.

The entire original cast was brought back together for this repeat performance. Emily Ristine, Da'Keisha Bryant, Jason Gloye, Claire Wilcher, Eric J, Olson, R. Brian Noffke, Diane Tsao Boehm, Ben Tebbe and Marcy Thornberry prove once again you can have fun and teach human kiness, along with a life lesson or two.

Bottom Line: The Phoenix Theater's Avenue Q should become an annual tradition for every adult who has ever been surprised by the reality of the real world.

For show times, tickets and directions, visit PhoenixTheatre.org.

Photos: Submitted by The Phoenix Theatre

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic at GottaGo.us. Catch her new column, Infused, at FoodandDrinkDigital.com, as Indy’s Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, and follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.