Nikky (Ryan S. McNally), Rod (Andrew Dawson) and Jumper (Em Rose) in Avenue Q; Photo by Sally Newman.
Avenue Q is a multi-award winning musical, following the life lessons of recent graduate Princeton, who has moved to New York. He soon learns that great marks and a B.A. in English are not going to pay the slew of bills that come with independent living, and that a purpose in life is a precious thing. He further finds that the paths of love and friendship do not necessarily run smoothly, as his life intersects with those around him.
Princeton, his sometimes girlfriend Kate Monster, neighbour Trekkie Monster, neighbouring roommates Nicky and Rod, sultry chanteuse Lucy T Slut and everyone’s good friends the Bad Idea Bears are all played by puppets. Inspired by the puppetry seen on Sesame Street, a children’s show loved by several generations of youngsters, the characters tap into memories as they subvert our expectations. Dark Psychic Productions have been excellently served by the talents of Cursed Creations, who have nailed the puppet crafting to achieve this vital dual effect of immediate recognition and surprise.
The humans on stage take on dual roles of puppeteers and performers, resulting in a high energy series of song and dance routines as we see human faces echoing puppet expressions consistently throughout. Darren Bilston (Princeton) and Danni Close (Kate Monster) also display impressive agility in a particularly memorable scene involving naked puppets, while Elouise Eftos gives Lucy T Slut the sultry saunter the legless puppet can’t achieve by herself. Interacting with these puppets and puppeteers are, in Sesame Street fashion, various human adults with important messages.
With a performance full of songs developing the characters’ stories and moving the plot along, it is vital that the actors can hold a tune as well as wrangle puppets, and here the cast prove themselves more than equal to the task. In the cheerful ditty ‘It Sucks to Be Me’, we meet the strong individual vocals and well-matched harmonies of John P Gray (Brian), Andrew Dawson (Rod), Ryan S McNally (Nicky), Jayde Clark (Christmas Eve), Bernadette Ward (Gary Coleman), Close and Bilston. Close also features sweetly in ‘The Internet Is For Porn’, which introduces Sean Williams (Trekkie Monster) and his deep vocals to hilarious effect. Eftos brings the right amount of raunch to ‘Special’ and Ward leads strongly in ‘You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You’re Makin’ Love)’ with support from Sally McMaster and Ruby Reye (Bad Idea Bears). Dan Rooney, Em Rose and Chantal Kerkhof are all versatile in their various supporting roles, as well as contributing to the massed singing pieces throughout. Crucially for such a lyric focussed work, all performers are clear in their diction and precise in their timings to work individually and together for maximum comic effect as well as conveying meaning, a credit to the Musical Direction of Lee Wilson.
Impressively Clark not only performs but also directs the entire production. Likewise, many cast members have been involved with technical aspects as well as rehearsing their lines. A full-length production, the pace never flags and technical efficiency behind the scenes ensures that timing is perfect throughout. Stage Manager Alison Kovacs and Assistant Stage Manager Nikita Harwood demonstrate superb organisation with a revolving cast of puppets and various props being swapped out between scenes, ably supported by Gabriella Guidone and Bethsaida Tapsall keeping the lighting cues tight. Alex Coutts-Smith’s lighting design makes the most of the limited stage area, working closely with the peculiarities of the set to emphasise the emotional highs and lows of the characters.
A high-energy, well-paced farcical treat, examining plenty of hard issues that remain surprisingly topical over a decade since the show’s debut. Sexual identity, career success, self-integrity, pornography and the ever puzzling ‘What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?’, are all discussed, fully, frankly and hilariously.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Avenue Q
Presented by Phoenix Theatre Inc and Dark Psychic Productions
Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopex and Jeff Marx
Book by Jeff Whitty
Directed by Jayde Clark
Musical Director: Lee Wilson
Stage Manager: Alison Kovacs
Assistant Stage Manager: Nikita Harwood
Production Assistants: Gabriella Guidone and Bethsaida Tapsall
Lighting and Sound Design: Alex Coutts-Smith
Costume Design: Ryan S McNally and Jayde Clark
Puppets made by Cursed Creations
Performed by Darren Bilston, Danni Close, Ryan S McNally, Andrew Dawson, Jayde Clark, John P Gray, Bernadette Ward, Elouise Eftos, Sean Williams, Sally McMaster, Ruby Reye, Dan Rooney, Em Rose and Chantal Kerkhof
Memorial Hall, Hamilton Hill
3-5, 10-13 and 17-19 March 2016
