In the midst of all the insanity and drama, I totally forgot to talk about the greatness that is Avenue Q!
I’ve wanted to see this musical since my parents saw it a couple of years ago in Houston. It sounded so hilarious, and since Gabe has discovered Sesame Street in the last six months, I really needed something that makes fun of the puppet show. The musical came to Dallas for two weeks only, and my aunt scrambled to try to get us tickets on a night that would fit into our schedule. Of course the musical fell on the week of Gabe’s birthday and A-kon, so weekend showings were out. We went on the Wednesday night before Gabe’s birthday, and all I can say is if you don’t have a sense of humor, don’t go see this show.
It makes fun of everything and everyone. The opening song is “It Sucks to be Me” and features both humans and puppets whining about how much their lives suck. The Asian girl has an over-the-top stereotypical accent that carries over while singing. I was laughing within seconds of the opening curtain. They also mock real characters from Sesame Street quite well, including Bert, Ernie and Cookie Monster. There’s also a fantastic jab at the Care Bears. The show is even structured like an episode of Sesame Street, including the word on the Street and the number of the day.
But even though there are puppets and it’s based off of Sesame Street, this is DEFINITELY not suitable for children. The characters dropped so many F-bombs (hence my shock that my Mom liked the show), two of the puppets had sex on stage, one puppet sings about how the Internet is only good for porn, and then there is the song called “Everyone’s Just a Little Bit Racist.” Oh yeah and don’t forget that Gary Coleman makes an appearance as the superintendent for the apartments on Avenue Q. (They aren’t eliminating his character from the show, thank God.)
The element that blew me away was the talent in voice acting. There are several puppets in use, and only four actors to man them and supply unique voices. For example, the actor who supplied the Cookie Monster voice was also the voice for the Ernie-like character. The more they sang and switched characters’ voices with ease, I continued to be impressed. Not every singer/actor can make cartoonish voices and not all voice actors can sing. It was a thrill to see the two combined in person and witness each actor turning on and off each voice like it was a switch.
I need to see this show again so I can catch everything I missed due to my own laughter. The soundtrack has already been neatly added to my Amazon wishlist. I need to buy it before they re-record it with the new lyrics regarding Gary Coleman.
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