Find Your Purpose on 'Avenue Q'

If you never contemplated your purpose in life, raise your hands.  Not that many rose I see. 
#hocoarts


Photo: Stan Barouh

Identifying one’s purpose in life is the central theme in Avenue Q—a clever, funny, poignant and uplifting story of young adults navigating their way through real-life’s unforeseen challenges to fulfill their dreams.  The satirical musical, currently playing at the Olney Theatre Center, also has its raunchy, racy and potty-mouthed moments.  

 

In a unique device for musical theatre, Avenue Q uses puppets as part of the storyline. They combine the joy and brashness of those loveable characters seen in PBS’ Sesame Street from which Avenue Q’s characters were inspired and parodied by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx who wrote the music and lyrics with the latter having interned at the program earlier in his career.  The irony is that the characters represented in Avenue Q’s puppets deal with adult themes contrasting with those on the children’s TV show Sesame Street.  The book was penned by Jeff Whitty.

For full review, visit MD Theatre Guide.

Growing Up on 'Avenue Q'

The songs, fun, imagination, themes, naughtiness and uniqueness that characterize Avenue Q  have been the source of the show’s popularity for years.  The three-time Tony Award winner, including Best Musical, ran for 2,534 performances on Broadway from 2003-2009 plus the spawning of other national and international tours and productions.   It has rightfully earned its place in musical theatre lore. 

Originally conceived as a television series by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx who wrote the music and lyrics before the show’s debut on Broadway (book by Jeff Whitty), Avenue Q is a coming-of-age parable that combines puppet theatre with real-life problems facing young adults.  Those issues and anxieties that young people must grapple with include finding an apartment, looking for a job, falling in love, avoiding commitment and most central to the show’s plot, seeking a purpose in life.  

For full review, visit MD Theatre Guide.