'Avenue Q' - A Love Of A Show
(Photo By Carol Rosegg)
'Avenue Q' - A Love Of A Show
AVENUE Q is one of the freshest, most delightful and highly intelligent shows to hit the boards in years. I loved AVENUE Q when I first saw it and I loved it again last night when it opened at the Broward Center.
AVENUE Q takes places in a fantasy world with real people, puppet people, puppet monsters and other special surprises. However, don't let the puppets make you think this is a show for the kids. While AVENUE Q may not be raunchy, it is certainly very naughty.
The true stars of AVENUE Q are Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx who originally conceived the show and wrote the music and lyrics. AVENUE Q has some of the most enjoyable show songs written in years. My personal favorite happens near the very top of the show and is entitled 'It Sucks To Be Me.' There are several other songs that theater music lovers will likely be listening to and singing for many years to come.
Jeff Whitty's book to AVENUE Q is very clever, quite funny, endlessly sweet and well structured. The first act is a bit too long and the second act does kind of wrap things up in a sweeping fashion; a bit out of step with the rest of the show. Yes, AVENUE Q's first act is far superior to its second, but there is enough glowing entertainment around to keep us happy until the final curtain.
The design team has done a wonderful job of supplying a playing ground that is inventive, witty and works beautifully for this show.
The direction by Jason Moore is sound, solid and wise. This is not an easy show to direct, and Mr. Moore has done a great job of smoothly melding the technical necessities of the piece without ever losing its warmth, humor and brains.
The cast is uniformly excellent, with my personal favorite being Robert McClure as Princeton and Rod. He is a precious musical theater performer and I am excited about performances he will give us in the future.
While indeed having some flaws, AVENUE Q is still one of those shows any lover of theater must see and anyone seeking a very special theatrical confection should get tickets to as soon as they can.
AVENUE Q's final performance at the Broward Center is January 11.
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