Avenue Q

How can I describe Avenue Q? Well…It’s a naughty, funny, genuinely touching musical about what happens when you realise that children’s TV lied and you really can’t be absolutely anything you want to be – no matter how hard you dream. It’s about making a life for yourself despite a lack of money, poor employment opportunities, and bad choices. Oh yes, and it has a cast of Jim Henson puppets.

Should the readier of this review not be familiar with the show - to give you some idea of its playful and slightly naughty tone, think of it as being Sesame Street being brought to you by the letter ‘F’ and the number ‘69’ and you’ll get the idea!

Although the show carries a disclaimer with it that it has no affiliation either with the Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop, Jim Henson’s widow and daughter attended an early reading of the show while it was being shaped and gave it their unofficial blessing.

This is not the first time PADOS have ventured down Avenue Q, just 18 months or so ago (give or take) the adult group of PADOS performed it at their intimate theatre affectionately known as PADOS House – and what a successful show it was, so much so that they’ve given their youth section a stab at it but this time being performed further up the road at the MET theatre in Bury.  

The cast has three human characters and 11 Muppet-style half-body puppet characters. The puppeteers wear black clothing, but are in full view of the audience.

You don’t exactly start to ignore them, but they do seem to become a part of their puppet as the show goes on. I cannot praise their skills too highly – it takes enormous dexterity and a lot of practice to make puppeteering look this natural!

Just like its inspiration of Sesame Street, the show tackles a lot of issues with the aid of jolly songs and examples from the characters’ lives – unemployment, racism, homosexuality, alcohol and finding your purpose in life.

The characterisation at work in this slick puppet production is superb, and is brought to life by a cast that oozes with infectious energy. You could be forgiven for thinking that this parable piece may prove to be sickly sweet, befitting its Broadway roots and Sesame Street style, but rest assured that is anything but.

Set against the backdrop of a dingy New York street you are taken on a coming-of-age journey which tackles some of the biggest issues in society with a wicked sense of wit. But for all the subplots, morality lessons and satire, the real beauty of the piece for me lies in its feel-good factor which was patent and shone bright in this production.

The biggest dampener of the production for me was that the music wasn’t live, I appreciate that it’s difficult to accommodate live music and a full set in this theatre but stage musicals lose something when the music is on track alone.

Sound quality did continue to be an issue. I was sat at the front and I was reminded of an article I’d seen online recently written by Dame Judy Dench who remarks on young actors with inadequate articulation coming into the profession, PADOS Youth were falling into this trap. Go back to old school techniques and get a round of tongue twisters going before a performance to start using your mouths to accentuate words.

The actors/puppeteers coped especially well darting off and back on with other characters quite impressively, very swift and neatly done.

The presentation of the production was spot on from the choreography through to the scenery, everything paid fine homage to the musical and justice was certainly done.

It’s clever, catchy and gloriously un-PC, it pulls no punches but has a huge heart.

PADOS should be immensely proud of their youth branch, they’ve delivered an excellent production here, the standard of the members within their youth throng is quite impressive, with this crowd - the future of PADOS is looking incredibly promising indeed.

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