Sesame Street meets the Muppets meets South Park meets Broadway.
Avenue Q is quite possibly the funniest musical ever produced. It’s a big call, but it’s a big show.
If you’d like a rundown on the story, read here, but the story is second to the hilarious songs, fantastic puppetry, brilliant acting and singing, and overall great production values.
I first saw Avenue Q in the West End, London, and was blown away by the daring and well executed script.
When I was offered a chance to see it performed by Supa Theatre Company at the ANU Arts Centre last night, I immediately thought ‘they’ll never be able to do it justice’. How wrong I was.
The acting, singing, puppetry, choreography, musicianship, stage design, lighting, sound, EVERYTHING was near flawless. I sat with a smile glued to my face for the entire show.
Avenue Q deals with a broad range of taboo themes which are rarely approached in the public domain. With songs entitled ‘If you were gay’, ‘Everyone’s a little bit racist’, and ‘The internet is for porn’, it’s very easy for the cast to turn the show into a juvenile swearing-for-the-sake-of-swearing type of show, but they don’t.
The jokes are well delivered with good timing, and the puppeteer’s faces are always in sync with their puppet which turns crude and tasteless jokes into innocent and acceptable gags.
There is a 6-piece band in a pit bellow the stage who are so tight you don’t even realise that the music is live.
The lighting design is varied and colourful, always suiting the mood. The sound is clear and with a large cast all harmonising, it didn’t get too loud and nothing was overpowering.
This production truly rivalled the London production in all aspects.
Go and see it. Maybe don’t take your grandparents or your young children, but take everyone else. Even if you don’t like musicals, you’ll like this.
Avenue Q runs from 16 September to October 1 at the ANU Arts Centre.
Tickets are $39 adult, $33 concession, groups, members, etc.
Check out http://www.supaproductionsinc.com/ for tickets and more info.
Slideshow of the dress rehearsal below:
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