NEW YORK WEEK continues: Avenue Q Review

The debate to see a show on my most recent trip to NYC raged fierce. Our little party was composed of young journalists trying to put themselves through college (read: all of us were flat broke). The logical choice — the one that got the most votes — was Newsies. But we discovered that tickets were really expensive, somewhere in the $100+ range. We didn't even argue about Book of Mormon, which we discovered to be sold out months in advance. We assumed we would be unable to agree on a show with tickets in a reasonable price range, and that was that.  

Until we saw a man standing in Times Square and selling Avenue Q tickets, that is.

We bought the tickets not at the TKTS booth, but from a vaguely attractive and bored-looking youth who approached us like some sort of scarf-wearing hipster angel and said, "Are you interested in Avenue Q?" This ticket missionary was selling them as a day job. He really wanted to be a comedian.  

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Neither Avenue Q nor Wikimedia Commons does not endorse Caroline the Adventurer.

We had all heard of Avenue Q, but didn't really know what the show was about. That made buying tickets a significant gamble. For $55.00, we took the risk. We had our show.

 It was scheduled for 8:00 that night. Since we were done with our conference for the day, we decided to spend a few hours goofing off before we got dressed and left for the theater. 

From left to right: Reubin, me, Matt and Taylor before the show. I chose obnoxiously bright colors to wear in celebration of spring. 

Excited by my first brush with the world of theater in NYC, I decided to buy a new outfit to wear. I was a little disheartened by how expensive everything was, but luckily, we found a giant Forever 21 in Times Square, where I bought a new skirt, blouse and blazer. I chose optimistic shades of pink and blue, which only served to make me stick out like a sore thumb in the crowded, black-clad masses that crammed the streets as we made our way to the New World Stages Theater where the show was held.

It was only a few blocks from our hotel. We arrived before the doors opened, so we looked around the theater, where some kind of art exhibition was going on. We were seated after about 30 minutes of admiring the abstract, hipsterish paintings for sale on the walls.   

While we were seated and waiting for the show to begin, waitresses circulated, offering show-themed concoctions from the bar you could enjoy while the actors cavorted on-stage. None of us ordered out of respect for Reubin, who was underage. 

At the risk of sounding like an asshat, Avenue Q is the musical of our generation. Inspired by the Generation-Me conflict between our "you-can-do-anything" upbringing and the realities of post-college life, it tells the story of Princeton, a new graduate, who moves to a shitty apartment on Avenue Q and must face the challenges and disappointments of a life that doesn't live up to his expectations. The show is crewed by unconcealed actors who operate puppets alongside other human actors. 

Irreverent, witty and satirical, Avenue Q is great for those with a sense of humor who don't offend easily. It is not PC and contains gratuitous scenes of puppet nudity. If you don't think you can handle puppets humping, this one is not for you. 

Some notable offerings from the show include "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist," "If You Were Gay," and "The Internet is for Porn." Others: a Gary Coleman character (usually played by a woman) who is absolutely hilarious. 

Avenue Q is an equal-opportunity offender, poking fun at everything from racial stereotypes to born-again virgins. Probably my favorite part of the show was the Bad Idea Bears, but I couldn't find a good video of them, so I guess you'll just have to watch the show if you're interested.

Probably the thing that astounded me most was the smooth handling of the puppets. The whole performance was staged with few actors who played several roles, necessitating the occasional puppet hand-off. It is accomplished seamlessly. I can't imagine how long it took to figure that out. 

The acting was great, the subject matter prescient and the use of puppets novel. I highly recommend this Tony Award-winning off-broadway offering. Check it out next time you're in NYC!

After the show, we were offered the opportunity to take a picture with the actors for a small charitable donation, which we eagerly did. Here, the four of us are pictured with Trekkie Monster. Ignore my goofy face. Obviously, I didn't think I would be sharing this with anybody.