Avenue Q

Theatre SSL, run by Paul Finch and his family, are a well-known sight on the local theatre circuit, providing sound and lighting for productions great and small.  When Paul’s daughter Hannah wanted to fulfil her desire to direct a musical, Theatre SSL Productions was born.  And what a start this new NODA Society are off to with Avenue Q, delivering a production of the highest quality, full of great singing and acting.

Avenue Q could perhaps best be described as a grown up version of Sesame Street, in which the puppet and human residents of the titular street pursue their messy lives, full of very adult concerns.  To tell their story, Theatre SSL assembled a cast featuring many familiar performers from the local theatre scene, along with some talented newcomers.  Not only did they sing, dance and act their socks off, they handled the added complication of handling the puppets.  This was brilliantly, seamlessly achieved, the performers seemingly completely at home with their furry, felty counterparts.

Our introduction to the world of Avenue Q comes through the eyes of newcomer Princeton a young everyman type character whose arrival shakes up the lives of many of the other residents.  Tom Mullins played the role superbly, hitting exactly the right character notes and effortlessly delivering songs such as ‘Purpose’, in which Princeton tries to discover his, and ‘It Sucks to be Me’.  It wasn’t long until Princeton started a romance with fellow resident Kate Monster – another very strong performance from Carys Chorley, charmingly acted and impeccably sung – ‘A Mix Tape’ in particular was very sweet.  Their ‘bedroom’ scene was also hilarious! 

Princeton also had a couple of trouble-making, imaginary friends – the equivalent of demons on his shoulder – Boy Bear (Michael Treagust) and Girl Bear (Sophie Hill, who also acted as Musical Director).  This naughty pair provided plenty of fun, with their high-pitched, childlike voices masking a devilish tendency to cause trouble!  And Matt Bridgewater had a whale of a time as the porn-addicted Trekkie Monster, who had absolutely no doubt what the internet is for! 

Elsewhere in the avenue, we met Rod – a closeted gay man desperately in love with his lodger Nicky - performed with real gusto by Scott Cartwright.  He was very funny in songs such as ‘My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada’, whilst also hitting some very strong emotional beats as he struggled with his sexuality.  Craig McDowall’s Nicky provided a fine foil, often bemused at Rod’s behaviour towards him and, again, very well acted.

There were three human characters in amongst the puppets, Brian (Ben Adams) and his fiancé (later wife) Christmas Eve (Jennifer Chow); and Gary Coleman (Patison Harrigan) – yes, that Gary Coleman!  Patison and and Jennifer have apparently played their roles before, and it showed in the quality of their performances, which was effortlessly matched by Ben in a vibrant performance that was as bright as some of his costumes!  The song ‘Schadenfreude’ really showed off Patison’s strong singing voice and relaxed stage presence, a real show highlight for me!

Back to the puppets, and Joanne Remes gave Lucy the Slut exactly the right vampish quality, whilst Janet Fryer was also spot on as the brilliantly named harridan Mrs Thistletwat (props to her for an entertaining programme resume too!)  The cast was completed by Robin Chorley-Merrell as Ricky and Emma Shaw as the Newcomer who brings the show full circle at its conclusion.  Both of them did double duty as ‘hands’ for other puppets, and their performances absolutely maintained the high standard established by their fellow cast members.

First-time director Hannah Finch belied her lack of experience, showing good storytelling skills and keeping the pace up well.  As if that wasn’t enough, she also contributed some fun choreography, even getting a bunch of cardboard boxes along for the ride!  A word too for other Finch family members, Jacob and Rachael, who worked as Producer and Head Puppet Wrangler, to make this a real family affair.

The action took place before a very nice set, depicting Avenue Q in all it’s glory, and enhanced by several TV screens which added Sesame Street style graphics that were very effective.  This being Theatre SSL, sound and lighting were very well handled (although perhaps it was a little bit too loud for me at times!) and costuming was also very good, particularly for the human characters.  The backstage crew also dealt with the various bits of stage furniture with minimal fuss.

My congratulations to all at Theatre SSL Productions for a really excellent production of this very entertaining show.  The only problem I can see it that, having set the bar so high, how are they going to follow that?!  We’ll find out with their forthcoming concert, Miscast Magic, which is lined up for January 2026.

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