Avenue Q

‘Avenue Q’ has been described as one of the great modern musicals of recent years and I was very much looking forward to what Bradford Players were going to offer, wondering how well they would be able to execute the puppetry skills required to successfully pull off this show. I was very warmly welcomed by their new President Roger Butterfield a man I have known for many years and one of the backbones of the society it was good to see him after such a long time.

The show began with a short video presentation on video screen in the centre of the stage which used links from the script but also cleverly edited additions by the production team which were an excellent way to link the show together throughout and especially at the start of Act 2, introducing us to the ‘Avenue Q’ theme, played by the excellent band which was conducted by Danny Gamble. Very well done to Danny and his band for an impressive performance and a great balance of band and vocals.

As the show began, the street of houses, set the scene. The puppetry required for this musical necessitates a whole new skill set, where the performer must not only act and sing themselves, but also operate their puppet character in sync at the same time, ensuring that both are constantly acting and reacting together. This is achieved when we, the audience, are watching the puppet rather than the actor, but the illusion can easily be lost. It is not easy and requires hours of rehearsal to master.  

Paul Matthews and Fiona Passey were introduced to us as Princeton, who is new to Avenue Q and looking for his purpose in life, and Kate Monster, a regular resident of the street. Both actors here did a great job, with both actors and characters often stealing the show for me. The vocal used for these characters and accents were both superb and both Paul and Fiona have great singing voices. Their facial expressions were excellent and, as the puppets’ faces are of course motionless, this made a huge difference to the audience’s appreciation of the character’s feelings throughout the show. Paul provided Princeton with a believably characterised speaking voice which I liked, and his accent was spot on for this character.

Fen Greatley Hirsh and Ryan Coleman gave us Nicky and Rod respectively. Great characterisation from these actors with super accents and vocals. Their duets were brilliantly staged and had the audience laughing along with them. Sarah Kay had the thankless task of hanging on to the back of Nicky’s belt and following him at proximity around the stage, as second puppeteer. She did extremely well at matching the hand movements so that the puppet was in sync and the two actors worked well together. Fen gave the audience some great facial play, adding much to the character. Ryan was spot on as Rod and played the character beautifully. His “Girlfriend Who Lives in Canada” was a great number, whilst Rod and Nicky’s duet, “Fantasies Come True” was lovely and beautiful. The two actors provided an excellent relationship through the puppets using facial, gesture and vocal techniques.

Josh Breeze played the role of Brian and although the character is a little shy and more downtrodden by his partner Christmas Eve, His characterisation was great and at times hilarious. Claire Pearson played Christmas Eve, capturing the character well. She perhaps had one of the hardest vocals, with the “Asian-American” accent to overcome, whilst also having to portray the fiery nature of Christmas Eve. A great performance from both actors in tricky roles holding their own on stage alongside the puppets. Another thing they both did accomplish was on stage it was clear and natural that their relationships were with the puppets and not with the actors.

The character of Gary Coleman was performed brilliantly by Steph Hindle. Steph gave a strong performance and “Loud as The Hell You Want” was brilliantly funny: although watching puppet sex had me rolling with laughter in my seat! That is a scene none of us can ever ‘unsee’ – hilariously inappropriate. Rehearsals must have been ‘interesting’ for actors and director alike! With what looked like from an audience point of view the actor Josh Breeze enjoying this number the most!

Jonnie Taylor voiced and played Trekkie Monster to perfection and “The Internet Is for Porn” showed us some great characterisation as Trekkie tried his best to keep quiet but, in the end, could not help himself! This was a scene stealing performance from Jonnie. Lucy The Slut was well played by Roxanne Williams, who gave us her slinkiest performance. A great character, and the only one the audience is supposed to dislike as she seduces the naive Princeton. It was a great portrayal of Lucy, well done! The Bad Idea Bears, played by Gerica McMullen and Darren Ryder, were a joy from the moment they appeared I thought the facial expressions and vocals were particularly good - well done to them both.

With the rest of the cast all making up the strong ensemble cast and playing amusing featured cameos, this was a talented cast led by Director David Ayers, Assistant Director Mikey May and Choreographer Jessica Sweeney, who produced an excellent piece of musical theatre.

There were some lovely touches in the set and staging design. Sound and lighting were good, and in terms of sound much improved.

It can be a “fine, fine line” between professional and some amateur productions and this performance of ‘Avenue Q’ set a high standard for amateur theatre in Bradford. Congratulations to everyone at Bradford Players. 

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