The other night we saw the play Avenue Q (official site). I had heard there were puppets, kind of like Sesame Street’s muppets, but that did not prepare me for what I saw. Not at all. First, let me say I liked the play quite a bit. Now, here is the description from Time magazine, back in 2003:

 What if the denizens of Sesame Street grew up into profane, broke, self-doubting college grads who kept some of their innocence but developed potty mouths?

Well, that sort of describes it. The set is a lot like Sesame Street, with people and puppets popping in and out and interacting about life and such. But here the characters are wildly stereotypical and not at all politcally correct.

To get an idea,  here are some of the song titles from this musical: Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist,” ”Schadenfreude,” ”The Internet Is for Porn” and ”You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You’re Makin’ Love), What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?, My Girlfriend Who Lives in Canada (one character’s proof that he is not gay even though he is) and It Sucks To Be Me. There is racism, sexism, some shocking language, puppet sex (quiet explicit, for puppets anyway), parody mixed with sentimentality, Lucy The Slut, Gary Coleman, and more. So, you can probably tell, it is not for the kiddies.

Some of the performers have puppets, worn on their arms, for alter egos and some do not. There are “bad-idea bears” that encourage characters to drink, have sex, commit suicide, etc. It’s pretty wild. And funny. And entertaining. If you are open minded and have ever seen Sesame Street (or not) then I would recommend this play. If you are easily offended then I would say to stay away. 

Here’s a couple snippets from reviews:

“Avenue Q is a hoot. There’s something nastily amusing about seeing sweet-looking puppets talk and act like lusty, sinful, error-prone young adults.”
–Orange County Register

“Clever and thoroughly entertaining….it delights with its savvy contrast between the jaunty tunes and rhymes of childhood television shows and the grittier ironies of real life after college.”
–San Diego Union Tribune

The official web site is here, it has reviews and a better description.

Have you seen Avenue Q? Leave me a comment!

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