October 29th, 2008 Posted in Theatre
Avenue Q | TPAC’s Jackson Hall | Oct. 28 - Nov. 2
I’m pretty sure nowhere is feeling the sting of the lulling economy more than Broadway. Cult sensation Rent? Closed. Cute tuner Legally Blonde? Closed. Spamalot? Hairspray? Spring Awakening? Closing. Closing. Closing. Though it may be hard to imagine, the little-show-that-could Avenue Q will soon be the fifth longest running musical still packing audiences into a Broadway theater each night.
Yet, a feat such as this really should not be too difficult to imagine. After all, Avenue Q does what any great piece of theater should do – it transports the audience to a world other than the one they just came from and makes them forget the troubles of their everyday life. The world in question this week is Nashville, where the superb national touring company plays through Sunday. And make no mistake, Music City is a better place for it.
The true genius of the Robert Lopez/Jeff Marx score is that it offers us a delightful slice of non-escapism. That is, the mounting bills and problems at work we are trying to get away from by going to the theater are blissfully lampooned right on stage and we somehow feel better for it. Nowhere is this more evident for me than in the story of Princeton (Robert McClure), a fresh-faced 22-year-old wondering what to do with his newly acquired B.A. in English. I can guarantee that this will be my theme song on May 16, 2009, when I have to figure out what in the world to do with my B.A. in English. (No joke.) At the end of the song “It Sucks to Be Me,” Princeton lightheartedly quips, “This is real life.” It may be difficult to take him seriously because, after all, he’s a puppet. But what makes this show so effective is that he is actually not far off from the truth.
In fact, all of the songs have this great double-edged truthiness to them. Kate Monster (Carey Anderson) is routinely interrupted by Trekkie Monster (David Benoit) as he explains that “The Internet Is for Porn.” Nicky (Benoit) assures his roommate Rod (McClure) of their unconditional friendship in “If You Were Gay.” Perhaps the funniest number is “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” in which some brightly colored, furry friends chirp, “Ethnic jokes might be uncouth / but you laugh because they’re based on truth.” These characters get away with every last bit of it because it feels as though you are watching children’s television.
Jeff Whitty’s inspired book follows the mold of these familiar programs and pays homage to them in the process. (After all, he’s teaching adults some very valuable lessons here.) My favorite plot device is the insertion of Gary Coleman (Danielle K. Thomas) into the mix as the superintendent of Avenue Q. Didn’t you ever wonder as a child why Gloria Estefan would randomly show up on Sesame Street and teach Grover how to sing “Conga”? So did I. The presence of Coleman offers a knowing wink to the genre but also provides an endless source of searing one-liners regarding the misfortunes of the former child star.
The fact that the actors are entirely visible on stage while handling their puppets is never a problem. It’s impossible not to watch the innocent faces of Princeton and Kate as they stumble into a cute little romance. In fact, it’s really quite fascinating to watch McClure, Anderson, or Benoit navigate a scene in which they play two different characters. Their transitions between voices are often so smooth, it may take a few minutes to realize it is an entirely different handler manning the puppet for whom they are speaking. Overall, this is a testament to the talent of the company as a collective unit.
For the record, the touring cast is an absolute treat, offering crisp performances and impeccable comic timing. Maggie Lakis as one half of the devilish duo known as the Bad Idea Bears offers the funniest turn of the evening as a baby-voiced teddy who encourages Princeton to drink irresponsibly, sleep with his girlfriend, and even kill himself. (She offers the poor guy a noose, for crying out loud.) A joyful irreverence can be found in her delivery and, indeed, in the entire show.
It may not have been the most likely contender for the 2004 Best Musical Tony, but Avenue Q won it for a very legitimate reason. It reinvents what meaningful theater can be while maintaining the basics of stage storytelling. Because it hijacks something as pure and familiar as kiddie TV, it connects with us on an instinctive level, rendering the jokes a little funnier and the moments of meaning a little more substantive. In the hands of the talented traveling company, the material has never shined brighter. Let’s just hope Nashville has the wherewithal to embrace the piece for its wacky brilliance before it packs up to spread its irreverent glee elsewhere.