“APPARENTLY, YOU CAN GO OFF-BROADWAY AGAIN” Reviewed by David Eric Loughner Published 2010-05-12
Last fall, Avenue Q transferred from Broadway back to Off-Broadway and is now playing eight shows a week at New World Stages. Even is the new venue, this Tony Award-winning Best Musical continues to be a hilarious ride packed with political incorrectness, sexual innuendos and of course, monsters! Still jam-packed with all the charm the Tony-winning Broadway run, Avenue Q continues to enchant audiences while telling the story of Princeton, a recent college graduate struggling to find a job (and a purpose), while dealing with a complicated, and very hilarious, love life with young teacher Kate Monster.Other characters in the “Sesame Street”-style musical for adults include Nicky the lazy and jobless roommate of Rod who is a closeted Republican investment banker, Trekkie Monster the porn addict, Brian and Christmas Eve the dysfunctional betrothed couple, Gary Coleman (Yes! That Gary Coleman!) who is the landlord of the building, and Lucy the Slut. The life lessons they all endure around the neighborhood (a rundown street in an Outer Boroughof New York City) remain as clever and inciting as they’ve ever been.Despite their lives appearing to be perfect from the outside, everyone has a perfectly valid reason to sing “It Sucks to Be Me” for the opening number. Princeton and Kate Monster, political correctness aside, conclude that “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist,” and that, because romance conquers all, “You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You’re Makin’ Love).”These songs and others, which also address concepts like “Schadenfreude” (pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others), and heartbreak (in “There’s a Fine, Fine Line”) generally fit well within the show’s fractured dialect and continues to be as relatable as ever for recent college graduates, unemployed individuals, and your everyday neighborhood slut.
The bottom line is that it doesn't really matter what age you are (although you might not want to bring anyone younger than 10), as long as you are in the mood for great music and comedy you will love Avenue Q.
“APPARENTLY, YOU CAN GO OFF-BROADWAY AGAIN”
