INTRODUCING THE PRODUCTION "AVENUE Q"

Can You Tell Me How to Get to Avenue Q?

URI Theatre I By Sergio Suhett

Puppeteers and cast of Avenue Q
Photo by Ryan Osga 

Avenue Q is a ‘puppet show,’ formatted in a style similar to public television’s Sesame Street, so it’s obviously intended for children – right? Well, not exactly.

According to the show’s official website, avenueq.com, with themes including sex, drinking, and surfing the web for porn, “it’s hard to say what exact age is right to see AVENUE Q – parents should use their discretion based on the maturity level of their children,” adding as a promise: “if you DO bring your teenagers to AVENUE Q, they’ll think you’re really cool.” So if Avenue Q, is, despite the floppy, colorful muppets, not quite Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, it does present mature subject matter in a magical, fun, and nostalgically familiar manner.

When it was produced on Broadway in 2003, Avenue Q was a huge hit. It ran for 2,534 performances, making it the 23rd longest running show in Broadway history. Along the way, it took home three Tony Awards for Best Musical, Book of a Musical (Jeff Whitty), and Original Score (Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx).

Critics showered the show with praise, with Ben Brantley in The New York Times describing it as “how Friends might be if it had Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy arguing about their one-night stand, but with more angst, expletives and full-on puppet sex.”

The URI Theatre’s production of Avenue Q opens on November 13th and will play for eight performances through November 23rd. Directed by Paula McGlasson in the Robert E. Will Theatre, and populated by a cast infusing it with top-tier talent and boundless enthusiasm, URI’s staging of Avenue Q guarantees a memorable evening of modern American musical comedy and a good time for all. Tickets are $20 (general), $18 (seniors, and URI Faculty/Staff) and $15 (students), and are on sale now. Get yours while they last!