Avenue Q

I thought that the Little Theatre was exactly the right venue for this show, the intimacy of the theatre really pulled us into the feelings of the actors/puppets, whether sad, happy or downright randy!!

The set on first sight looked a little bit bare, but with the windows being used to the utmost by the cast, and the lighting, it proved to be exactly right.

Lighting from Tom Young was excellent- some stunning effects, and everything fitted in so well with the moving moods of the piece.

The choreography bore the stamp of Lynette Driver who has her own style, which translated itself well to this vehicle.

Chris Young directed the show and also the musical side of things – there were some good voices to do justice to bright and interesting music, and the ensemble numbers were all beautifully harmonised. 

The animations, although part of the package, were very funny and drew the attention well.

In the first scene it was a case of... shall I watch the actor or the puppet? - but as the show went on they somehow seemed to meld, and become one.

So to the cast – Lucy O’Hare and Kate Monster, gave us her usual finely crafted performance – a lovely portrayal that got under the feelings of Kate, with a real understanding of the emotions Kate was going through. 

This is going to be a difficult write, because the puppets became almost real, and therefore deserve to be mentioned alongside their puppeteer!

Ashley Mead and Princeton showed us his quest to find his purpose – it really rang bells.  Ashley/Princeton was happy, sad, and at times a typical young man – very well done.

Rod, operated by Simon Rollings was a different type of character for Simon – a gay man, with lots of comedy coming through.

Nicky, operated by James Halling and Helen Maile - voiced by James, was the catalyst for Rod to finally ‘come out’, he was the typical never quite grown up lad, with James giving the voice plenty of expression.

I loved Trekkie - voiced by Josh Thompson, and what a voice, very deep and gravelly, such fun.  Anna Woods assisted as Trekkie’s right arm.

Kay Elliott and Kim Albone were the very sly Bad Idea Bears.  Again nicely done.

Lucy the Slut was operated by Jenna Ryder-Oliver, the voice adopted for both speech and her musical numbers was very good – the jazz/bluesy feel of the numbers Jenna/Lucy sang suited Jenna’s voice so well – deep and rich – very well done. 

Mrs T, operated by Alana McKenna, was very full on and amusing. 

Then we come to the actors who didn’t have an extension to their arm....  Susan Young as Christmas Eve, a sometimes charming, often aggressive oriental lady, married to Brian, the failed comedian, was a good pairing.   Susan sang beautifully, so much of what she said was very true!

Paul gave the part plenty of energy, moved with ease and sang the part well. 

Last, but certainly not least, was Damien Winchester as Gary Coleman.  This part suited Damien down to the ground and gave him the opportunity to be funny, show off his lovely voice, and dance a little.  Great portrayal.

I thoroughly enjoyed this rather unique theatrical experience – which was funny, blatantly rude, cheerful, slightly too truthful for comfort at times, very diverse in its look at life, with everyone performing really well. 

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