Arts & Entertainment

'Avenue Q' Meets Hollywood Boulevard

Opening night of the revival of Avenue Q at the Pantages Theatre provides an apt reminder why this touching and truly funny musical won the Tony Award in 2004.

A revival of  the 2004 Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q opened Tuesday night for eight performances only at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood and played to a packed house.

The Sesame Street-based politically incorrect musical featuring people and puppets who navigate the choppy waters of young adulthood, follows the trials and tribulations of the puppet Princeton, a 23-year-old college graduate with no job, no money and no prospects.

On Avenue Q in New York, he finds a cheap apartment and warm-hearted neighbors including the sniping long term roommates Rod and Nicky, where Rod can’t admit that he’s gay; the unemployed 33-year-old would be stand up comedian Brian and his Japanese fiancée Christmas Eve (who marry in the most bizarre Jewish/Japanese wedding ritual you’re likely to see in a long time), the upstairs crabby neighbor Trekkie Monster and Princeton’s love interest, Kate Monster.

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Into this mix come a variety of additional colorful characters including The Bad Ideas Bears who pop up to offer inappropriate suggestions from blowing your last paycheck on a case of beer, to getting drunk and indulging in one night stands or committing suicide when things get too tough, and Lucy The Slut who provides the external obstacle to Princeton and Kate Monster’s happy ending.

And then there’s Avenue Q’s superintendent, one Gary Coleman, who of course could find no other job, and the only person everyone can agree on that it truly ‘sucks to be him.’ The fact that Coleman passed away last year is not addressed in this production. It certainly adds a new spin to this musical if only for the fact that his signature “Whatchoo Talkin About Willis?”  line and his smart quips like “You think you’re life is tough, try being a has been at 15…” provide the show with an added ring of poignancy.

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Indeed, there’s something both timeless and poignant about Avenue Q. Whether you’re in your twenties or your sixties, everyone can recall the struggles of finding themselves after graduating college; wishing they could return when things get too difficult; trying to figure out if a boy really likes you when he makes you a mix tape (or in this case a mix CD) and searching for an elusive purpose — all of which the cast captures with great sincerity.

It’s merely an added bonus that all these life lessons are learned through the help of large puppets and deliciously inappropriate catchy tunes, including the opening number of  ‘It Sucks to Be Me/You’, ‘The Internet Is For… Porn,’ ‘Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist,’ and ‘Schadenfreude.’

The televison screens on either side of the stage that pop up with those tried and true Sesame Street lessons with an ironic twist are as much an integral part of the show as the live onstage action. The simple yet effective set design by Anna Louzios, is two parts that infamous Sesame Street stoop we remember from our childhood and one part delicious imagination, with its talking boxes, dolls house style peek-a-boo looks into tiny apartments, and lots of doors and windows that can look out onto the world or into a character’s soul.

Louzios is ably backed up by Howell Binkley’s lighting design, which is both whimsical and fantastical, particularly when it comes to Christmas Eve’s wedding dress and the brilliant depiction of lonely lives atop the Empire State Building at midnight.

Kudos to the ensemble cast who wring emotion from their bodies, faces and voices and the puppets attached to their hips. Ashley Eileen Bucknan shows off her incredible vocal range and tonality, effortlessly managing to switch between her roles as the sweet, vulnerable Kate Monster and the torch siren shenanigans of Lucy The Slut.

Anita Welch has mastered the Gary Coleman nuances to a tee (yes, he’s played by a woman); Michael Liscio Jr. does wonders with his brilliant comic timing as both Trekkie Monster and Nicky; and nobody appears to be having more fun onstage than Lisa Helmi Johanson as the failed therapist, Christmas Eve.

A special mention has to go to Tim Kornblum as the slacker, Brian. Already a delight with his hang dog expression, shaggy hair and migraine-inducing wardrobe choices, he showed his true improv skills opening night. At a crucial point in the show a large banner is supposed to unfurl onstage. When the banner got caught, Kornblum didn’t miss a beat. He simply shouted “Don’t Move!” then proceeded to leap up the stairs and release the banner, to huge applause from the audience.

There are some truly wonderful life lessons to be learned in Avenue Q, and the show doesn’t attempt to wrap everything up in a neat bow at the end. After all, life is a journey and that’s the message the creators manage to get across with true sincerity and large doses of humor.

Despite the child-like construct of the show, this is definitely not a musical for children. Even the program notes warn of  “full puppet nudity,” but they really should tell you it’s closer to puppet porn.

There’s a reason that this seemingly simple show won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The true enigma of Avenue Q is that it manages to effortlessly capture the angst of youth without the Sturm und Drang usually associated with shows that attempt to do the same.

Avenue Q plays through March 6 at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd.  Tickets start at $25. For information and tickets log on to: http://BroadwayLA.org or telephone: 1-800-982-2787.


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