Avenue Q
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| Avenue Q | ||
| Original Broadway production | ||
|---|---|---|
 Playbill for the production |
||
| Music | Robert Lopez Jeff Marx |
|
| Lyrics | Robert Lopez Jeff Marx |
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| Book | Jeff Whitty | |
| Theatre | John Golden Theatre | |
| Opened | July 31, 2003 | |
| Producer(s) | Kevin McCollum Robyn Goodman Jeffrey Seller Vineyard Theatre The New Group |
|
| Director | Jason Moore | |
| Choreographer | Ken Roberson | |
| Scenic designer | Anna Louizos | |
| Costume designer | Mirena Rada | |
| Lighting designer | Howell Binkley | |
| Originally starring | John Tartaglia Stephanie D'Abruzzo Rick Lyon |
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| Official website | ||
| Playbill listing | ||
| IBDB profile | ||
Avenue Q is a Broadway musical, which was originally conceived by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. It opened off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in March 2003 (where it won that season's Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical), and it has been on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre since July 31, 2003. It has risqué songs about racism, Internet porn, and the difficulties of life, and all but three characters are portrayed by puppets. It surprisingly won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical as well as Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Book of a Musical, defeating the much bigger-scale, front-runner musical of the season, Wicked.
The music and lyrics are by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. The book is by Jeff Whitty. The original production was directed by Jason Moore and choreographed by Ken Roberson. The puppets were designed and constructed by original cast member Rick Lyon.
The show is largely inspired by (and in the style of) PBS's Sesame Street, with several characters that are recognizably parodies of classic Muppet characters. For example, the roommates Rod and Nicky are adult versions of Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie, and Trekkie Monster seems to be based on Cookie Monster. Likewise, many of Avenue Q's musical numbers are in a style associated with classic Sesame Street songs.
Because of its adult content and "full puppet nudity" (including graphic simulated sex between puppets), Avenue Q may be inappropriate for children 16 years of age and under. Additionally, for this reason, the show specifically disclaims any connection to the Children's Television Workshop or The Jim Henson Company. However, both Marx and Lyon previously worked for Sesame Street, as have the other puppeteers in the original cast. In an interview with The Times, addressing the question of potential conflicts with Henson, Marx claimed, “during early previews in the States we invited Jim Henson's widow and children and they could see that what we were doing was a homage and love letter to Sesame Street.” [1]
A novelty book featuring the book and lyrics has been released, featuring cut scenes and cast/crew interviews.
A Las Vegas production opened up at the Wynn Las Vegas in September 2005, and closed in May 2006 due to poor ticket sales and building conflicts. The London Production opened on June 28, 2006. Other foreign productions are now set to open, beginning with a Swedish production opening February 9, 2007 [1] and a Finnish production 27 February, 2007 [2]
[edit] Plot details
[edit] Act One
The lights dim and the two television screens flanking the stage illuminate with an animated cartoon of Mr. Sun heading home to Avenue Q, parodying the introduction to Sesame Street as the cast sings the opening theme ("The Avenue Q Theme").
We first meet Princeton, a recent college graduate with the "useless" B.A. degree in English, who still remains optimistic that he will eventually "make a difference to the human race." ("What Do You Do with a BA in English?/It Sucks to Be Me") In the second part of the song, we are introduced to the rest of the cast: Kate Monster, a cute member of the "Monster race" who can't get a date; Brian, an unemployed slacker; Nicky and Rod, two roommates who are fed up with each other; Christmas Eve, a Japanese immigrant who came to this country to get a job as a therapist but has no clients; her unemployed fiancé (Brian); and finally, Gary Coleman (yes that Gary Coleman), who is now an apartment superintendent and sick of people coming up to him to say "What'chyou talkin' about Willis?"
Princeton is struggling to find what to do with his life. The TV monitors explain to him that he needs to find a purpose because that's what everyone has. He finds a lucky penny and decides things are looking up in his search ("Purpose").
Kate gets called up by Mrs. Thistletwat, the kindergarten teacher, who says that she will not be around in the morning due to her having heart replacement surgery and that Kate (her assistant) may teach whatever subject she likes. Kate wants to teach something "relevant" and "modern": the Internet! But Trekkie Monster, the porn-loving monster, soon destroys any sort of positive credibility for "this new technology." ("The Internet is for Porn")
Rod talks to wannabe-therapist Christmas Eve for advice about a "friend" he has who's gay and in the closet, when he's clearly talking about himself. Christmas Eve doesn't pick up on this and inadvertently insults Rod's "friend," thereby insulting Rod himself.
Kate has a feeling Princeton has a crush on her, and when he comes over to deliver a mix tape, she's sure of it. But then she starts reading the songs. Could the song list be a clue? Princeton, who was using her bathroom ("You may not wanna go in there for a while...") returns to read the second side of the tape which gives a much clearer signal. Princeton then asks Kate to go out with him to the Around the Clock Café that night. "He does like me!" Kate decides. ("Mix Tape")
Everyone is ready for the show to begin at the Around the Clock Cafe. Brian gives the opening act, which could be deemed as revealing a little too much information. ("I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today") In the face of the audience's lackluster response, Brian introduces the star of "Girls Gone Wild, parts 2, 5, and 7..." Lucy the Slut. Lucy takes the stage, singing "Special", and makes everyone feel a little better about themselves. (And she makes Trekkie feel quite a bit of himself.) After the set, Kate and Princeton are ready to go home after an enjoyable evening, but the Bad Idea Bears arrive to suggest that they should have some harmless Long Island Iced Teas and play some drinking games. After the first round, Kate says it's her treat for the next round. While Kate is away retrieving the next set of drinks, Lucy latches onto Princeton, telling him when he's ready for a real woman, she'll be around.
In their drunken state, Kate and Princeton are convinced by the Bad Idea Bears to go home and have sex. Gary Coleman (backed up by the Bad Idea Bears) is called by other tenants to tell Princeton and Kate to stop making love so loudly. Gary refuses. Brian and Christmas Eve are also getting some action on the side. And Trekkie Monster seems to be enjoying himself just fine. ("You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Making Love))"
An animated TV short illustrates the differing perspectives of a man and woman through an The Electric Company parody: a sillhoutted male head on the left states very clearly, "come" while the silhouetted female head on the right stubbornly insists, "mitment." They repeat this several times until the female takes over and says, "commitment."
Rod cannot sleep, and Nicky snores loudly in the bed next to him. Before Rod can shake him to wake him up, Nicky begins to talk in his sleep... about Rod! Nicky is fantasizing about Rod, and Rod is jubilant because his dreams are finally coming true. Meanwhile, Kate and Princeton lie in bed and explain how happy they are with each other. Princeton gives Kate his lucky penny as a gift to let her know how much she means to him. Kate begins singing the same jubilant chorus as Rod, but sadly for Rod, his is only a dream. "Rod, buddy?" Nicky shakes him, "You were talkin' in your sleep." "What? Oh...I thought you were talking in your sleep!" "No, I just came to bed! You were dreamin' is all." "Oh. Right..." "Must've been a nice dream, though." "Yes. Yes it was a nice dream." "Good night Rod!" Disappointment mounting in his voice he wishes Nicky good night. ("Fantasies Come True")
The next morning, Kate wakes to Mrs. Thistletwat's voice on the phone, yelling at her that she missed the morning classes she was supposed to teach. Kate, angered by all this, quits her job. Princeton calls her very brave and asks her to be his girlfriend and to accompany him to Brian and Christmas Eve's wedding.
Everyone is present for Brian and Christmas Eve (who is apparently dressing for Christmas and Independence Day in addition to the wedding), including the rabbi Gary Coleman (he apparently does everything in Avenue Q). Everyone calls over Nicky, wondering if there's any truth to the rumor that Rod is gay. Nicky confirms that without a doubt, Rod is a closeted homosexual; Rod overhears him and is dumbstruck. "I am not...a closeted homo-whatever!" He in fact has a girlfriend no one has ever heard of or seen; he quickly creates a girlfriend named Alberta who lives in Vancouver. ("My Girlfriend Who Lives in Canada") The wedding ends with some awkwardness, especially when Rod throws Nicky out of their apartment.
Princeton gets scared by the two TVs that animatedly transform the word "purpose" into "propose", and it doesn't help when Kate snatches the bride's bouquet from a girl. Scared of commitment, Princeton breaks up with Kate. A disappointed Kate ends the first act with a note of defiance. ("There's a Fine, Fine Line")
[edit] Act Two
At the top of act two, Princeton sits alone in his apartment. ("It Sucks to Be Me (Reprise)") After two weeks, he is broke, in debt, unemployed, single, and purposeless. Brian arrives to cheer him up. When that doesn't work, an intervention is set in motion. Christmas Eve, Trekkie Monster, Nicky, and Gary Coleman arrive to take Princeton back outside to enjoy himself. On the way, they meet Lucy the Slut, and Princeton decides to take her home with him ("There is Life Outside Your Apartment"). Kate sees Princeton and Lucy on the way into his apartment: "Is her name purpose?" Angry at Princeton, Kate talks to Christmas Eve, wondering why she can be so angry with Princeton but does not hate him. Christmas Eve explains, in the musical's showstopping ballad, that the reason Kate is angry at Princeton is that she loves him so much ("The More You Ruv Someone"). Kate comes to Princeton's apartment to give him a letter, inviting him to meet her at the top of the Empire State Building. He is in the shower when Kate arrives, so she gives the letter to Lucy, who promptly destroys it.
Nicky has been staying with Brian since he was kicked out, but Christmas Eve can't take having a puppet in the apartment anymore. They throw him out on the street, and Nicky has to beg for money. Gary Coleman sees Nicky's downtrodden state and laughs that he can't help feeling a weird sort of satisfaction from the sight. "Sorry Nicky, human nature!" ("Schadenfreude")
Lucy has abandoned Princeton, who goes out looking for her. Kate, angry that Princeton seems to have stood her up, throws the penny he gave her off the Empire State Building. Yards below, an unsuspecting Lucy being pursued by Princeton gets hit in the head by the falling penny. At the hospital, Kate visits Princeton and they attempt to work out their problems, but Princeton has not matured; he is not ready for commitment. Nicky and Rod encounter each other, and Nicky tries to apologize, but Rod won't hear of it. He consults with Christmas Eve. "Why don't I have someone who loves me the way I love them?" Christmas Eve tells him everything is going to be okay. Nicky is out on the street, Kate is alone on the balcony, and Princeton sits at Lucy's bedside. All of them ponder what it would be like to go back to happier, easier times. ("I Wish I Could Go Back to College")
Passing Nicky in the street, Princeton has a big revelation: He should be worrying about other people. He's going to raise the money to build Kate's monster school. Nicky realizes too he shouldn't just be begging on the street; he needs to find a way to get back to his apartment. "I know! I'll find Rod a boyfriend!" Together with Gary Coleman, Brian, and Christmas Eve, they raise some money, even going out into the audience for it. ("The Money Song (You Can't Help Helping Yourself)") It's not enough, but there's one more person to hit up: Trekkie. He refuses to help, of course, until he finds out the cause is a monster school. He was not accepted at the simple public school he attended, where normal children pulled his fur and made fun of him. ("School for Monsters") He gives them US$10 million for the project. "Trekkie! Where did you get this kind of money!?" Trekkie answers, "In volatile market, only stable investment...is PORN!" ("The Money Song (Reprise)")
The school is complete, and everyone reveals it for Kate. Christmas Eve and Brian then announce that they are leaving Avenue Q (for a "nicer neighborhood:" Lower East Side)! Brian is becoming a consultant, and Christmas Eve has a single paying client, a high-paying client with a lot of problems. Everyone believes it's Rod, who arrives on the scene with champagne. He finally reveals that he is gay. No surprise. But he's definitely going to lighten up and invite Nicky back in. And that's great, because Nicky has a surprise for him, a boyfriend: Ricky. "Oh, I think I know your type," Nicky states. Meanwhile, the Bad Idea Bears have started scientology. Lucy was saved and only the mean parts of her brain were removed. She's teaching yoga now. Kate cannot believe the monster school is finally a reality and definitely cannot believe it when they tell her Princeton devised the whole project. Princeton asks her for a second chance, and Kate says they'll take it a day at a time. ("There's a Fine, Fine Line (Reprise)")
In the end, everyone talks about how life may be bad now, but everything in life (except for death and paying taxes), is only for now ("For Now")
[edit] Tony Awards and Nominations
Avenue Q was nominated for 6 Tony Awards for the 2003 Broadway season. Avenue Q took home 3 awards.
- Nominated
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (Jason Moore)
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (John Tartaglia)
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Stephanie D'Abruzzo)
- Won
- Tony Award for Best Musical
- Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (Jeff Whitty)
- Tony Award for Best Original Score (Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx)
[edit] List of main characters
- Princeton, a recently graduated English major; role originated by John Tartaglia, and currently puppeteered by Howie Michael Smith.
- Kate Monster, a lovelorn kindergarten teaching assistant who wishes to create a school for monsters; role originated by Stephanie D'Abruzzo, later Mary Faber and now currently puppeteered earnestly by Kelli Sawyer.
- Rod, a Republican investment banker who is secretly gay; role originated by John Tartaglia, and currently puppeteered by Howie Michael Smith. Parody of Bert.
- Nicky, Rod's roommate, a messy slacker; originally puppeteered by Rick Lyon, and is currently puppeteered by Robert McClure. Parody of Ernie.
- Trekkie Monster, who spends most of his time on the internet looking at porn; Trekkie was originally puppeteered by Rick Lyon, and is currently puppeteered by Robert McClure. Parody of Cookie Monster.
- Lucy the Slut, a nightclub singer who is as slutty as her name suggests; role originated by Stephanie D'Abruzzo, and currently puppeteered by the sultry Kelli Sawyer. "Lucy's like what would have happened if Prairie Dawn on Sesame Street had grown up and gone bad."[2]
- Gary Coleman, the former star of Diff'rent Strokes, is the building superintendent of Avenue Q; a non-puppet character played by a female; role originated by Natalie Venetia Belcon and currently played by Haneefah Wood.
- Brian, a down-on-his-luck 32-year-old who has trouble keeping steady employment and dreams of being a stand-up comedian. Engaged to Christmas Eve. A non-puppet character; role originated by Jordan Gelber, and currently played by Evan Harrington.
- Christmas Eve, a Japanese immigrant and Brian's fiancée. She is a therapist who has no clients; a non-puppet character; role originated by Ann Harada, and currently played by Ann Sanders.
Other Characters
- Mrs. Thistletwat ('Lavinia'), a Kindergarten teacher with Kate as her assistant.
- The Bad Idea Bears, the two adorable and sinister bears who can convince anyone to do something bad in the most adorable way.
- The Newcomer, the young man resembling Princeton that comes to Avenue Q planning to move into the vacant apartment.
- Ricky, the new boyfriend that Nicky has found for Rod via the internet. He looks an awful lot like Nicky, hence the name similarities. When Nicky presents him to Rod, he says "Oh, I think I know your type."
[edit] List of songs
Act I
- "The Avenue Q Theme" - Company
- "What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?" - Princeton
- "It Sucks to Be Me" - Brian, Kate Monster, Rod, Nicky, Christmas Eve, Gary Coleman and Princeton
- "If You Were Gay" - Nicky and Rod
- "Purpose" - Princeton and Company
- "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" - Princeton, Kate Monster, Gary Coleman, Brian and Christmas Eve
- "The Internet Is for Porn" - Kate Monster, Trekkie Monster, and The Guys
- "Mix Tape" - Kate Monster and Princeton
- "I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today" - Brian
- "Special" - Lucy the Slut
- "You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love)" - Gary Coleman and Company
- "Fantasies Come True" - Rod, Kate Monster, Nicky and Princeton
- "My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada" - Rod
- "There's a Fine, Fine Line" - Kate Monster
Act II
- "It Sucks to Be Me (Reprise)" - Princeton
- "There Is Life Outside Your Apartment" - Brian and Company
- "The More You Ruv Someone" - Christmas Eve and Kate Monster
- "Schadenfreude" - Gary Coleman and Nicky
- "I Wish I Could Go Back to College" - Kate Monster, Nicky and Princeton
- "The Money Song" - Nicky, Princeton, Gary Coleman and Company
- "School for Monsters" - Trekkie Monster and Company
- "The Money Song (Reprise)" - Trekkie Monster and Company
- "There's a Fine, Fine Line (Reprise)" - Princeton and Kate Monster
- "What Do You Do With a B.A. in English? (Reprise)" - Newcomer
- "For Now" - Kate Monster, Brian, Gary Coleman, Nicky, Rod, Christmas Eve, Trekkie Monster, Lucy the Slut, The Bad Idea Bears, Princeton and Company
[edit] Other Avenue Q songs
So far, there are three Avenue Q songs that are not in the actual show itself and one made and cut for the London production.
- "Tear It Up and Throw It Away": the only original number cut from the show. The plot of the song is that Kate Monster receives jury duty and won't be able to go to the aquarium with Nicky. However, Nicky tells her that jury duty is a load of crap and nobody will notice if you just don't go. The song was written back when the concept was mooted for cable TV, not Broadway. Since the number has no relevance to the plot as it is today (and Kate Monster and Trekkie Monster (the actor plays Nicky as well) have a duet anyway in "The Internet is for Porn"), it was the first thing thrown out, and they wrote Schadenfreude as Nicky's duet (this time with Gary Coleman). Even though it was cut out of the musical way before the show went on, Rick Lyon and Stephanie D'Abruzzo recorded the song with a full orchestra and released the mp3 (easily found on file-sharing programs). The song is not found as a bonus track on the cast recording, but it is included with a souvenir program.
- "Rod's Dilemma": Written for Tony voters, this song cleverly disguises the Tonys as Rod's choice for voting for his rotary club's president. He is largely undecided, and the residents of Avenue Q tell him to "vote his heart". Princeton reminds everybody that "it's a secret ballot, so nobody has to know who you voted for!" The song even pokes fun at how it's trying to take the honest way to grab Best Musical, when the end chorus proclaims "Vote Your Heart! [faintly in the background] (On Avenue Q!)" Many claim this song won them the Tony, and it is available to hear on the official website.
- "Only in Vegas": This song was written for Vegas promotion and even though an official mp3 exists, it's extremely hard to find. It features Rick Lyon as Steve Wynn telling the cast of Avenue Q how happy they will be in Vegas. The song was performed on Regis and Kelly and in some press and media events. The song is also noteworthy in that it is the first song written for Avenue Q to not try to bear similarities to Sesame Street songs, but rather pay tribute to Vegas showroom songs. It, as well, is the first Avenue Q recording to not feature the original Broadway cast.
- "Time": Made with the London cast (actually only one member), it was used in London previews, showcased on the video screens at the buffer of intermission. It featured a video of Nicky sitting on the toliet, singing about how he is taking his time before the next act begun, with the stagehands yelling at him to get out. It failed miserably during the previews and was immediately removed. The CD , however, is being released with souvenir brochures (Programs) and can be found, unlike the Vegas song.
[edit] Current Broadway Cast
- Princeton/Rod: Howie Michael Smith
- Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut: Kelli Sawyer
- Trekkie Monster, Nicky, Bear, Etc.: Robert McClure
- Gary Coleman: Haneefah Wood
- Brian: Evan Harrington
- Christmas Eve: Ann Sanders
- Mrs. Thistletwat, Bear, Etc.: Jennifer Barnhart*
Ensemble: Matt Schreiber and Jonathan Root
Many of these roles are ever-changing. Mary Faber will return to the show December 19th, 2006, while Vegas alumni member Kelli Sawyer takes over her role. Jennifer Barnhart is the only remaining original member of the cast, and she has announced no plans to leave as of now.
- An '*' at the end of the cast member's name means they are an Orginal Broadway cast member.
[edit] Cast Replacements
- Barrett Foa replaced John Tartaglia as Princeton/Rod on February 1, 2005.
- Haneefah Wood replaced Natalie Venitia Belcon as Gary Coleman on November 20, 2005.
- Mary Faber replaced Stephanie D'Abruzzo as Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut on December 26, 2005.
- Ann Sanders replaced Ann Harada as Christmas Eve on February 27, 2006.
- Howie Michael Smith replaced Barrett Foa as Princeton/Rod on July 2, 2006.
- Robert McClure replaced Rick Lyon as Trekkie Monster, Nicky, Bear, Etc. on October 30, 2006.
- Kelli Sawyer replaced Mary Faber as Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut on October 30, 2006.
- Mary Faber will return to the role of Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut on December 19, 2006.
- More will be added soon!
[edit] Las Vegas Production
On September 8th, 2005, a second production of "Avenue Q" opened up at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel and casino in Las Vegas. It just won the Tony award for "Best Musical". This made Avenue Q unable to tour, and only available to be produced in Vegas, New York and outside North America (e.g. London, where it opened in June 2006).
From September 2005 to the end of the year, the show stayed in its original Broadway form, with two acts and an intermission, as on Broadway with two different casts classified as the Blue Bear and Yellow Bear Casts.
In Vegas, in a brand new 1,200 seat theater built specially for the show, there were some differences from the Broadway production, including new digital projection screens, a new reprise of "It Sucks To Be Me" for Princeton at the top of Act Two and a newly orchestrated entr'acte, new orchestrations for "Purpose", a trimmed "The Money Song" and a whole new rock arrangement of "There Is Life Outside Your Apartment", as well as a few new jokes more suited to Vegas audiences. (Note: These changes are now present in the current Broadway version)
In mid-January 2006, the show was cut to 90 minutes, removing the intermission and trimming 10-15 minutes of material:
- Cuts were made to the songs "Mix Tape", "Fantasies Come True" and "Schadenfreude".
- The scene after "Fantasies Come True", where Kate loses her job, but gains Princeton as a boyfriend, no longer existed. It was only implied that Kate and Princeton are a couple at the wedding.
- Since they deleted the intermission, Princeton breaks up with Kate, but instead of singing "There's a Fine, Fine Line", Kate simply walks back into her apartment. The TV screens then flashed "Three Weeks Later", zipping right to the scene (in what would be act two) that immediately follows the deleted "There Is Life Outside Your Apartment". Lucy simply showed up, now reading as that she's been seeing Princeton for a while.
- The Bad Idea Bears now showed up when Lucy tears up Kate's letter.
- The hospital scene between Kate and Princeton was extended with newly written dialogue, with Kate actually saying that she lost her job, and wondering why Princeton would want Lucy. Princeton's words only made her cry. She then sang "There's a Fine, Fine Line", which replaced the now-gone "I Wish I Could Go Back To College".
- The scene in which Rod tells Christmas Eve that he misses Nicky was thrown out.
The setting of the Vegas version of the show remained, of course, still New York.
Another difference between the Broadway and Vegas productions was that the merchandising in Vegas was far more extensive, including many souvenirs which were not available at all in New York.
Steve Wynn went so far as in dressing twenty cabs in orange fuzz to promote the show. They had "Q" in white letters etched in front.
Though the show was reported to have sold consistently at roughly 65% (of 1,200 seats, 10 performances a week) and to have been profitable, it was announced the Vegas production would close on May 28th, 2006, after only a 9 month run. The actual reason for closing was given as Spamalot, for which the Wynn also bought exclusive rights, was originally going to be in a whole new theatre that would intrude on the golf course. The golf course proved to be insanely popular, and so it was decided that the Monty Python musical will move into the Broadway theater, removing Avenue Q. As of now, due to the lack of success of the Broadway shows in Vegas, the production of Spamalot as been put on indefinite hold.
This releases the Avenue Q producers from their exclusivity agreement, and since Avenue Q is now allowed to tour again, it is presumed that plans for a tour, and/or sit-down productions will be announced shortly.
ORIGINAL LAS VEGAS CASTS:
Yellow Bear Cast:
Jonathan Root**: Princeton/Rod
Kelli Sawyer**: Kate Monster/Lucy The Slut
David Benoit: Nicky/Trekkie Monster/Bear
Nicholas Kohn: Brian
Haneefah Wood**: Gary
Angela Ai: Christmas Eve
Sharon Wheatley: Mrs T/Bear
Phyre Hawkins: Ensemble
Jennie Kwan: Ensemble
Blue Bear Cast:
John Tartaglia*: Princeton/Rod
Brynn O'Malley: Kate Monster/Lucy The Slut
Rick Lyon*: Nicky/Trekkie Monster/Bear
Cole Porter: Brian
Tonya Dixon: Gary
Natalie Gray: Christmas Eve
Rita Dolphin: Mrs T/Bear
Steven Booth: Ensemble (later took over the role of Princeton/Rod upon John Tartaglia's departure in December 2005)
Michelle Lane: Ensemble
Jay Garcia: Ensemble
*From the original Broadway cast.
**Now in the current Broadway cast.
[edit] London Production
A third production began performances in June 2006 in London's West End at the Noël Coward Theatre (recently renamed from the Albery Theatre - Avenue Q is its first production) with Cameron Mackintosh at the helm. The show previewed on June 1, 2006 and received its European premiere on 28 June 2006. Avenue Q is currently booking in London until July 28, 2007. It is only the third production of the musical in the world, and the first outside the United States. The production also unveiled a brand new logo for the show (visible on the production's UK website), presumably since the original logo, styled after the New York City Subway system graphics, would have little resonance with a London audience.
The most noticeable initial change was that Gary Coleman was thought not to be well known enough for a UK audience, and the character was changed to just "Gary - that famous kid from TV" and cast as a male actor instead of a female. This also caused a rewrite of the orchestration's nod to Diff'rent Strokes in "It Sucks to be me".
In subsequent performances however, after audience polling, the character's name was changed back to Gary Coleman, and the original dialogue of his catchphrase: "Whatchoo talkin' about Willis?" has been reinstated after a trial of "Try havin' people stopping you and saying "I thought you was dead!". His line in "It Sucks To Be Me" is however different from the Broadway Show, stating - "I was the cutest little black kid on tv. I made a million dollars that my parents stole from me. My life was over when i reached puberty"
Also changed in "It Sucks To Be Me", is Christmas Eve's line 'Tried to work in Chinese Restaurant' instead of 'Korean Deli'. There are slight alterations all the way through however, for example 'Those stupid Polacks' in 'Everyone's A Little Bit Racist' to 'Those French people are such assholes', Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx stated this change was not for any cultural reason, they just thought it was funnier.
In 'The Internet Is for Porn', instead of being embarrassed about what he did after sending Kate the e-card, Princeton nods his head vigorously with his mouth open. In 'Special', Lucy headlined in The Vatican City instead of Celebration, Florida and London instead of Bangkok. And at the beginning of intermission, an animation shows the word 'Intermission' colliding with 'val', leaving the more-British 'Interval.'
A few bits of music were cut for example the middle of 'Schadenfreude' (Straight A students getting B's, cutting off Oscar speech etc) and 'Watching A Frat Boy Realize...' was changed to 'Seeing a Drunk Guy realise...' Also the pacing of 'Purpose' is longer and slower in the beginning than in the original version. Everyone applauds when Rod comes out of the closet instead of staying silent. The music at the beginning of 'Life outside your apartment' is also slightly different. The changes mostly come from the Las Vegas version of the show.
Cast:
- Jon Robyns: Princeton/Rod
- Julie Atherton: Kate Monster/Lucy The Slut
- Simon Lipkin: Nicky/Trekkie Monster/Bear
- Sion Lloyd: Brian
- Giles Terera: Gary
- Ann Harada: Christmas Eve
- Clare Foster: Mrs T/Bear
- Luke Evans: Ensemble
- Gloria Onitiri: Ensemble
- Jacqui Sanchez: Ensemble
- Matthew J Henry: Swing
- Gabriel Vick: Swing
- Yanle Zhong: Swing
[edit] Location
Avenue Q is a fictional street in a New York City location known only to be "somewhere out in Queens or Brooklyn."
Manhattan has well-known Avenues A, B, C, and D, making up the Alphabet City neighborhood (where Rent takes place; now considered part of the East Village). Some say Avenue Q is the hypothetical extension of that sequence: far from Manhattan, where the rents are actually affordable for recent college graduates.
Alternately, Avenue Q could be in the Midwood and Gravesend area of Brooklyn, where there are also Avenues A, B, C, etc. all the way up to Avenue Z, with a few exceptions. One of the exceptions is Avenue Q; the street between Avenue P and Avenue R is known as Quentin Road, named for the youngest son of President Theodore Roosevelt. The Q subway train, whose symbol used to be a Q in an orange circle resembling the Avenue Q logo, travels through this neighborhood, and the Kings Highway station is almost on Quentin Road.
The authors have stated that Avenue Q, the show's namesake, is fictional and is not related to this or any other particular street.
[edit] Events and appearances of Q
On September 30, 2004, the day of the first Bush-Kerry presidential debate, the cast of Avenue Q presented their version, with portrait puppets of Bush and Kerry created by Rick Lyon, called Avenue Q&A, on a special stage set up in the middle of Times Square. Eighteen television networks covered the event. Rick Lyon puppeteered George W. Bush while Jennifer Barnhart puppeteered John Kerry. Each puppet sang to the other in response to questions from Avenue Q's concerned "residents", and then the whole cast sang to the rain-drenched crowds to "Vote your heart!".
Regis and Kelly puppets created by Rick Lyon hosted the first few minutes of an episode of Live! with Regis and Kelly. Rod and John Tartagalia were "man-on-the-street"-style interviewers on the 2005 CBS broadcast of the Macy's Day Parade.
Rod and John Tartaglia also appeared alongside Michael Arden, Laura Benanti, Rosie O’Donnell, Ben Vereen and other Broadway superstars in a World AIDS Day benefit concert of Pippin held at the Manhattan Theatre on November 29th, 2004. Rod played "The Head".
In November 2005, Avenue Q's website held a "One Night Stand" contest, calling for people to register their puppets and see whose was most worthy to be put next to Rick Lyon's. Eventually, the contest narrowed to ten entrants, and later to three, at which point the worthiest puppet and puppeteer were voted on. Andrew MacDonald Smith and his puppet Maurice Tipo won, and thus, on March 10, 2006, Andrew MacDonald Smith and his puppet Maurice Tipo appeared onstage during a show performance, appearing in a café scene, singing the opening song and curtain call.
In October 2006, Jonathan Root and Princeton presented the award for Best Young Adult Novel at the Quill Book Awards.
[edit] Internet Popularity of "Q" Songs
The Internet is for Porn, a song where Trekkie Monster frustrates Kate's attempt to design a kindergarten lesson plan about the Internet by pointing out his favorite use, has established a new life outside the show. Several videos and animations on the Internet use characters from other sources to sing on top of the audio track, with one of the most popular being a fan-made flash featuring Hilary Duff and Howard Stern on Albino Blacksheep. Other videos cropped up frequently in early 2006 including one using World of Warcraft characters and another one using various video game characters. There have also been many parodies of The Internet is for Porn by anime/manga characters, including, most notably, Hideki Motosuwa and Chii from the anime Chobits. InuYasha, Naruto, Trigun and others have been used as well. Much like that, many fan movies use the song "If You Were Gay" with clips of, for example, Gravitation or Ouran High School Host Club. The song, accompanied by a tiled Cookie Monster image is also in the YTMND Hall of Fame with almost one million views.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official website
- London Production Website
- Finland Production Website
- Photos from the Broadway production
- 30 second clips from the original cast album
- Internet Broadway Database entry
- Official website of Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, Avenue Q creators/composers/lyricists
- Personal website of Jeff Whitty, Avenue Q book writer
- Playbill Online coverage of Avenue Q's mock presidential debate in Times Square
- ABC News: "'Avenue Q' Closing in Las Vegas"
- Coverage of the Pippin World AIDS Day Benefit Concert - includes photo of Rod as "The Head"
- Coverage of Andrew MacDonald Smith's and Maurice Tipo's appearance onstage in the March 10, 2006 performance of Avenue Q
- Downloadable Compact Broadway pilot show spotlighting Avenue Q
- musicOMH.com review of the London production of Avenue Q
- Production: Avenue Q Working in the Theatre Seminar video at American Theatre Wing, September 2003
- Robyn Goodman (producer) Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing, August 2005
