BROADWAY SNAP-SHOT
by Russell Bouthiller

Dateline: 20 August 2003

AVENUE Q

With songs such as "I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today," "If You Were Gay," and "You Can Be As Loud As the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love)" sung by a group of fuzzy, foamy, fun-loving characters and their friends, you'd have to be Oscar the Grouch not to love AVENUE Q.

Presently residing at the Golden Theatre after a downtown stint at the Vineyard Theatre, this new musical by composer/lyricists Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx (based on their original concept) and book by Jeff Witty takes us down a road which bears a striking resemblance to "Sesame Street."

Described in the press release as "the place you live when you can't afford to live anyplace else," AVENUE Q is an itsy-bitsy more risque than your average kiddy show. With wide-eyed, cuddly puppets performing adult acts--well, think of seventy less one--this is more like "The Electric Company" after dark.

AVENUE Q follows the travails of a group of Gen-Xers and post Gen Xers and takes on issues ranging from unemployment to unrequited Gay love. With more than a dozen characters representing a very East Village mix--some in the flesh; others in the plush--the team of Lopez and Marx illustrate the follies and foibles of modern day life through clever lyrics and catchy tunes.

Take, for example, the bawdy "The Internet Is for Porn," delivered with heartfelt reverie by the neighborhood grump, Trekkie Monster. As Kate Monster, a wholesome Kindergarten teacher's assistant, extols the virtues of a wired-up world, Trekkie bursts in with his take on the assets of an online environment. "Grab your d--- and double click."

The raciest number is the group offering "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" in which a rainbow representation defuses this third-rail subject with a delightful send up. "Ethnic jokes might be uncouth/But, we laugh because they're based on truth." By mocking all sorts of stereotypes, the song successfully brings a wry humor to this touchy subject. You've certainly never heard this one before.

The hard working cast, many making their Broadway debuts, is headed by the talented John Tartaglia, an eight-year "Sesame Street" veteran. Tartaglia plays Princeton, the sunny newcomer to the block, and Rod, the repressed Republican homosexual. Armed with a puppets and vocal prowess, Tartaglia unobtrusively combines his characters' affability with his own.

So, too, does Stephanie D'Abruzzo who animates Kate Monster and sponge-vamp Lucy T. Slut. Puppet designer Rick Lyon does double-duty as Nicky, Trekkie Monster and more. Lyon offers the perfect voice, both in song and dialogue. And, Jennifer Barnhart lends a hand nicely. Strictly human characters Christmas Eve and Brian are ably played by Ann Harada and Jordan Gelber. And, Gary Coleman (yes, the once-was TV star and, now, California gubernatorial candidate) is oddly, yet effectively fleshed out by Natalie Venetia Belcon.

Under Jason Moore's direction, AVENUE Q offers up a block party of multimedia fun aimed at an untraditional audience. Savvy as it may be, AVENUE Q bumps up against that neighborhood of "just too adorable." For all its insistence on inclusiveness, it's still aimed at an exclusive set. After all, when writers include a song entitled "Schadenfreude," it's hard to say that the show ain't high-brow.