Why You Should See Avenue Q Before It Closes
Published on Tuesday 20th July, 10.06am, Written by Kelly Pentland
It has recently been announced that smash-hit musical Avenue Q in London will end its run at the West End’s Wyndham’s Theatre on 30 October, 2010.
Book to see Avenue Q before it leaves Theatreland
A fun and upbeat musical, Avenue Q has shocked and entertained audiences across the globe with its controversial wit and care-free attitude. The show stars a strange but successful blend of actors and puppets and is definitely worth seeing before it leaves the West End.
Why? Because it’s hilariously funny and extremely outrageous. Avenue Q is the unmissable story of Princeton, a college grad who moves to New York to follow his dreams. Utterly broke, he soon ends up on the far-from glamorous street, Avenue Q where he meets a whole bunch of wacky individuals including internet addict Trekkie Monster and Nicky, a textbook slacker. Alight with satire, the production documents the transition between childhood and adulthood in an amusing, honest and clever fashion as the characters embark on a journey of self-discovery.
Avenue Q was first developed in 2002 and opened off Broadway in March 2003 at the Vineyard Theatre. A hit with audiences, the show blasted onto Broadway in July of the same year, delighting American theatre-goers with bawdy humour, racy jokes, and edgy lyrics — after all, it’s not every day you hear songs such as I’m Not Wearing Underwear Today or You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You’re Making Love).
Met with a host of positive reviews, the show was deemed a hit and ran until 13 September 2009.
A great success, Avenue Q was nominated for six Tony Awards during its Broadway run, winning three for Best Original Score, Best Original Book, and Best Musical. The show later reopened at the New World Stages complex on West 50th Street, New York and is still running there today — it seems the US can’t get enough of this off-the-wall show.
Avenue Q’s US run was just the beginning of a worldwide phenomenon — after all it would be unfair for the rest of the world to miss out on sensationally rude puppets and their comic adventures. Since 2002 Avenue Q has enjoyed two US tours and international productions have opened in countries including Sweden, Australia, Israel and Singapore. There have also been whispers that the show will embark on a UK tour after it closes at Wyndham’s Theatre, but nothing has been officially confirmed.
The show transferred to the West End in 2006 opening at the Noel Coward theatre. Produced by Cameron Mackintosh, Avenue Q proved successful on the London stage with its run being extended on many occasions. The show moved home in 2008, re-opening at the Gielgud Theatre and moved again in 2010 to the Wyndham’s Theatre where it will play until it closes in September. Don’t panic though, there is still time to see it.
Unsurprisingly for a show which features puppet sex, racism, celebrity satire, and very familiar puppet designs, Avenue Q has attracted considerable controversy over the years.
After the pre-Broadway workshop performances of Avenue Q, the show’s creators attended a meeting with the Henson Company, the people behind The Muppets. The Henson representatives attempted to dissuade the Avenue Q team from using their Muppet-like puppets, suggesting they were too similar to existing, copyrighted, Muppet designs. Protected by US parody laws, the Avenue Q team kept their puppet designs but came to an agreement with Sesame Workshop and the Henson Company. Promotional material for the show now states that Avenue Q has no connection to either company.
Avenue Q also features late US television sensation Gary Coleman as a character. Coleman repeatedly threatened to (but never actually did), sue the show’s producers for his portrayal as a skint building superintendent. He was initially represented as female but was later scripted as a male. After Coleman’s death in 2010, producers did not write the character out of the show but some changes were made to his dialogue.
The London production of Avenue Q has starred a variety of actors including the loveable Daniel Boys, who rose to fame on BBC talent show Any Dream Will Do. The talented actor played the lead role of Princeton and closeted homosexual Rod, winning the 2009 Theatregoers’ Choice Award for Best Takeover in a Role. The current star of Avenue Q, Paul Spicer, is sensational on stage thanks to his great comic timing and charming interpretation of the cheeky characters.
A unique production, Avenue Q is designed to make your jaw drop and is not for the easily offended. However, if you have a great sense of humour and appreciate a good comedy, why not book now and enjoy this fantastic production before it leaves town?
