Avenue Q
By Angie Bedford
The 2004 Tony Award winner, Avenue Q, has
finally hit Oz making its debut in Melbourne.
Courtesy of Arts Asia Pacific and Power Arts, Australians will be
spoilt by the Broadway production with a local touch.
The show opened its season with a bang, delighting the full house at
the Comedy Theatre.
Described as "Sesame Street on crack", Avenue Q is a
quirky adults-only musical that aims to shock and entertain.
Although the soundtrack on its own is a little underwhelming, Avenue Q
must been seen to be realised. In performance, the show has its naughty
edge, but is to be admired for its clever narration and unexpected
ability to create poignant moments.
We first meet spunky puppet
Princeton (Mitchell Butel) who, longing to find his "Purpose", heads to
Avenue Q – a cheap area in downtown New York City.
There, we
meet his neighbours, a number of fun adult and puppet characters,
ranging from the sweet to the offensive, all under the wing of the
Superintendent, one (female) Gary Coleman (Cherine Peck).
Princeton’s journey is filled with life lessons about porn to racism,
and everything in between!
Director
Jonathan Biggins delivers a slick production that peaks in all the
right places, and transports the tale to a new level.
Avenue
Q
succeeds as true collaborative production, with fantastic direction,
setting, musical direction and performances resulting in one of the
most refined productions in years.
There are no dead spots or dead weights, and it delivers a laugh a
minute.
Biggins succeeds by making Avenue
Q
about character and not performers. Whilst the spectacle of numerous
onstage character transformations kept me on the edge, the puppet
characters had such a rich reality.
It is a true feat, given
that the local cast are 20 years shy of the puppetry experience of the
original Broadway cast, with the puppet and adult characters interacted
effortlessly.
Butel was brilliant as both Princeton and closest
homosexual Rod. His characterisation and physicality for each role was
distinct and his vocals sublime. It didn’t matter if your eyes were on
Butel or his puppet – they were always one and the same.
In her
stage and musical debut, Michala Banas shone as sweet kindergarten
teacher assistant, Kate Monster, and as the sexual Lucy T. Slut. Banas
was at her strongest as Kate, delivering an understated and well sung
performance. She was well paired with Butel.
Christina O’Neill
stole the show as Christmas Eve, a Japanese American social worker.
O’Neill had exceptional comic timing, presence and brilliant diction –
even in her broken Engrish! Her killer vocals in the love song parody The More You Ruv Someone
were a show highlight, and surpassed previous recordings.
Other
great performances included versatile Luke Joslin as Nicky / Trekkie
Monster, Cherine Peck as a vivacious Gary Coleman, David James as
Christmas Eve’s fiancée comedian, and the talented Natalie Alexopoulos
in supporting roles as well as "babysitter" for some of the lead
puppets.
The lead cast were supported by a discreet ensemble,
who had their hands full as various puppet characters on and offstage -
including some super cute talking boxes.
Design overall was terrific, featuring
the original Rick Lyons puppet designs that pay homage to Jim Henson's
Muppets. The main types of puppets used were a mix of single rod,
double rod and live hands puppets.
The design varied between,
who are shown from the waist up, although at times were perhaps a
little too small for grand circle audience members.
The set, by
local designer Richard Roberts, was deceptively simple – a dull rundown
Bronx style apartment block with puppet sizes windows and doors, and
functional use of rotation to take us inside. A "Billboard For Rent"
sign atop the building transformed into clever TV animation sequences
(designed by Mal Padgett) to support the Sesame Street-esque
narration.
A
set highlight was Rod and Nicky’s bedroom, which consisted of two
vertical skinny beds on the fly, that allowed the puppets to easily
slide into bed, with the performer alongside. Overall, the set allowed
for scene changes so fast I didn’t realise they had happened.
Truly great stuff.
Roberts
also designed the clever costumes, dressing the puppeteers in plain
grey/black casual clothing, which contrasted with the bold colours on
the adult characters and puppets. The performers and set are well lit
with simple and effective lighting design by Richard Pacholski.
Choreography
by Nathan M.Wright was minimal, but used effectively. The staging
allowed for the performers and puppets to move easily and had all the
cute bopping and bouncing you’d expect from a children’s programme –
this contrasted hilariously with the content, especially in Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist.
Music
Director David Skelton’s six person orchestra were in great shape,
balancing well with the vocalists and providing a rich sound.
There really is something for everyone in this production; its appeal
reaches beyond traditional theatregoers.
Those who loved Sesame
Street
growing up will recognise and enjoy the episodic nature of this warped
fable. Anyone who reads the news will love the contemporary relevance.
You
may be still looking for your "Purpose" in life… or maybe you just
stumbled across this review accidently because, as we all know, The Internet is for Porn.
Either way, Avenue Q
is the hot ticket on the Melbourne circuit this season. In Melbourne
only For Now,
be sure to catch this gem, with A Reserve seats up for grabs from only
$45. For our interstate readers, get on those waiting lists, as you
won’t want to miss out.
Avenue
Q is a triumph.
"Avenue Q"
Director: Jonathan Biggins
Choreography:
Nathan
M. Wright
Where: Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
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