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Henson alums Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Rick Lyon, John Tartaglia, Jennifer Barnhart (with Peter Linz as an understudy) star on Broadway in the season's new musical, Avenue Q, an affectionate hommage to Seasme Street.
It's FANTASTIC! Go, go go to see it!
(Warning -- it may have puppets, but it's not for kids. There's profanity, adult themes and -- yes -- puppet full-frontal nudity.)
Here's a review:
'Q' takes a witty ride down 'Sesame Street'
By Elysa Gardner, USA TODAY
NEW YORK — The question posed by a cute puppet named Princeton at the beginning of Avenue Q (***½ stars of four) is one that's likely to resonate with a lot of people over age 21: "What do you do with a B.A. in English?"
John Tartaglia puppeteers Princeton in Avenue Q.
Though hardly the most profound line in this delightful new musical, which opened Thursday at the John Golden Theatre after an acclaimed off-Broadway run, Princeton's query tips us off that Q is not your average children's show. Nor, for that matter, is it your average parody of a children's show.
Fledgling composer/lyricists Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx originally imagined Q as a Sesame Street satire, complete with a cozy urban setting and accessible songs that aim to both enlighten and entertain. There are even TV monitors above the stage flashing animated, mock-educational vignettes.
But Q offers something more resonant and less snarky than your typical post-adolescent put-on. Though there are moments when Lopez, Marx and librettist Jeff Whitty betray a youthful fondness for winking at their own cleverness, they relay tough lessons with warmth and wit that will disarm the most jaded grown-ups.
Protagonist Princeton, as brought to life by John Tartaglia, one of several puppeteers who juggle numerous cuddly creatures, is a recent college graduate who lands his first apartment in an area populated by struggling young adults — some flesh and blood, some handcrafted. Among the former, there's wannabe comedian Brian and his fiancée, Christmas Eve, a therapist who can't keep a client, as well as the landlord, a has-been actor named Gary Coleman.
The inclusion of Coleman, gamely played by a tomboyish Natalie Venetia Belcon, is not gratuitous, for an overriding theme of Q is the idea that success and contentment can be fleeting. Yet like other hard truths delivered here, the point is made so affably that it never stings.
Q's often crass, sometimes politically incorrect humor is handled with equal deftness. Songs such as Everyone's a Little Bit Racist send up darker aspects of human nature with refreshing candor and winning insight. There's also a giddy production number called The Internet Is for Porn, led by the lascivious but ultimately lovable Trekkie Monster.
Similar progress is made by Nicky and Rod, a pair of male puppets who room together, à la Ernie and Bert, raising questions about their relationship that are dealt with both comically and poignantly. Princeton's budding romance with the earnest Kate Monster, meanwhile, is complicated by a pair of mischievous bears and the conniving Lucy, a more babe-alicious and decidedly less uptight variation on Miss Piggy.
While good intentions and true love triumph, Avenue Q doesn't conclude on a sentimental note. "Everyone's a little bit unsatisfied," the puppets tell us, but "life goes on." Now there's a lesson worth the cost of a college education.
It's FANTASTIC! Go, go go to see it!
(Warning -- it may have puppets, but it's not for kids. There's profanity, adult themes and -- yes -- puppet full-frontal nudity.)
Here's a review:
'Q' takes a witty ride down 'Sesame Street'
By Elysa Gardner, USA TODAY
NEW YORK — The question posed by a cute puppet named Princeton at the beginning of Avenue Q (***½ stars of four) is one that's likely to resonate with a lot of people over age 21: "What do you do with a B.A. in English?"
John Tartaglia puppeteers Princeton in Avenue Q.
Though hardly the most profound line in this delightful new musical, which opened Thursday at the John Golden Theatre after an acclaimed off-Broadway run, Princeton's query tips us off that Q is not your average children's show. Nor, for that matter, is it your average parody of a children's show.
Fledgling composer/lyricists Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx originally imagined Q as a Sesame Street satire, complete with a cozy urban setting and accessible songs that aim to both enlighten and entertain. There are even TV monitors above the stage flashing animated, mock-educational vignettes.
But Q offers something more resonant and less snarky than your typical post-adolescent put-on. Though there are moments when Lopez, Marx and librettist Jeff Whitty betray a youthful fondness for winking at their own cleverness, they relay tough lessons with warmth and wit that will disarm the most jaded grown-ups.
Protagonist Princeton, as brought to life by John Tartaglia, one of several puppeteers who juggle numerous cuddly creatures, is a recent college graduate who lands his first apartment in an area populated by struggling young adults — some flesh and blood, some handcrafted. Among the former, there's wannabe comedian Brian and his fiancée, Christmas Eve, a therapist who can't keep a client, as well as the landlord, a has-been actor named Gary Coleman.
The inclusion of Coleman, gamely played by a tomboyish Natalie Venetia Belcon, is not gratuitous, for an overriding theme of Q is the idea that success and contentment can be fleeting. Yet like other hard truths delivered here, the point is made so affably that it never stings.
Q's often crass, sometimes politically incorrect humor is handled with equal deftness. Songs such as Everyone's a Little Bit Racist send up darker aspects of human nature with refreshing candor and winning insight. There's also a giddy production number called The Internet Is for Porn, led by the lascivious but ultimately lovable Trekkie Monster.
Similar progress is made by Nicky and Rod, a pair of male puppets who room together, à la Ernie and Bert, raising questions about their relationship that are dealt with both comically and poignantly. Princeton's budding romance with the earnest Kate Monster, meanwhile, is complicated by a pair of mischievous bears and the conniving Lucy, a more babe-alicious and decidedly less uptight variation on Miss Piggy.
While good intentions and true love triumph, Avenue Q doesn't conclude on a sentimental note. "Everyone's a little bit unsatisfied," the puppets tell us, but "life goes on." Now there's a lesson worth the cost of a college education.
