Avenue Q is Sesame Street in the bad part of town; the adult’s only, uncensored version. Written by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, with a book by Jeff Whitty, the musical won critical acclaim – and some Tony’s – when it debuted in 2004. It’s a musical that is rarely produced, not just because of the edgy content, but because many of the characters are puppets. When North Shore Theatre Company decided to stage Avenue Q, one of the first challenges for director, Peter Meredith was testing the actors’ boundaries.
“It certainly was in the back of my mind that I had to work around what my cast was prepared to do and what they weren’t prepared to do,” he explains. “I started off with a very softly softly approach, only to have my cast turn around and say “C’mon mate, tell us what you want us to do and we’ll do it!”
What these puppets and people say and do on stage is outrageous, irreverent, and confronting, yet there’s more to this musical than blue humour.
“The bawdiness of the show does get a lot of the headlines, but really it’s a great story that’s being told, fundamentally, and certainly great tunes that get cracked out,” says Meredith.
The plot centres around Princeton, a young college graduate who moves to a neighbourhood in Brooklyn, New York, and discovers things about people and life that he never learned in school.
“We deal with one particular character being homeless…one particular character being depressed; we deal with a group of people addressing homosexuality,” says Meredith. Though there are plenty of laughs, the issues are dealt with in a thoughtful way.
“Amongst the silliness and bawdiness and hilarity there’s a couple of really sweet, honest, truthful moments that I think the show has to have, and I think it’s landing really nicely.”
The show has been marketed as “R-rated” with a warning about offensive language, adult themes, and on-stage puppet sex, so does Meredith believe audiences will come along knowing exactly what to expect?
“I hope not. I really hope not!”
Apr 26-May 4. The Independent Theatre, 269 Miller St, North Sydney. $40-$47.50+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.northshoretheatrecompany.org
By Rita Bratovich
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