Avenue Q
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Avenue Q | ||
| Original Broadway production | ||
|---|---|---|
 Playbill for the production |
||
| Music | Robert Lopez Jeff Marx |
|
| Lyrics | Robert Lopez Jeff Marx |
|
| Book | Jeff Whitty | |
| Theatre | John Golden Theatre | |
| Opened | July 31, 2003 | |
| Producer(s) | Kevin McCollum Robyn Goodman Jeffrey Seller Vineyard Theatre The New Group |
|
| Director | Jason Moore | |
| Choreographer | Ken Roberson | |
| Scenic designer | Anna Louizos | |
| Costume designer | Mirena Rada | |
| Lighting designer | Howell Binkley | |
| Originally starring | John Tartaglia Stephanie D'Abruzzo Rick Lyon |
|
| Official website | ||
| Playbill listing | ||
| IBDB profile | ||
Avenue Q is a Broadway musical, which was originally conceived by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. It opened off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in March 2003 (where it won that season's Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical), and it has been on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre since July 31, 2003. It surprisingly won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical as well as Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Book of a Musical, defeating the much bigger-scale, front-runner musical of the season, Wicked.
The music and lyrics are by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. The book is by Jeff Whitty. The original production was directed by Jason Moore and choreographed by Ken Roberson. The puppets were designed and constructed by original cast member Rick Lyon.
The show is largely inspired by (and in the style of) PBS's Sesame Street, with a mix of live characters, puppet characters, short animated video clips and bouncy songs performed on a rundown street set. However, the characters are in their twenties and face adult problems instead of those faced by pre-schoolers. Some of the songs are risqué about racism, Internet porn, and other subjects that wouldn't be mentioned on Sesame Street. But in the end, the show's hopeful message about the characters finding purpose through helping others and getting through problems by realizing that they are only "for now" is very resonant.
Several characters are recognizably parodies of classic Muppet characters. For example, the roommates Rod and Nicky are adult versions of Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie, and Trekkie Monster seems to be based on Cookie Monster.
Because of its adult content and "full puppet nudity" (including graphic simulated sex between puppets), the show specifically disclaims any connection to the Children's Television Workshop or The Jim Henson Company. However, both Marx and Lyon previously worked for Sesame Street, as have the other puppeteers in the original cast. In an interview with Britain's The Times, addressing the question of potential conflicts with Henson, Marx claimed, "during early previews in the States we invited Jim Henson's widow and children and they could see that what we were doing was a homage and love letter to Sesame Street."[1]
A Las Vegas production opened up at the Wynn Las Vegas in September 2005, and closed in May 2006 due to poor ticket sales and building conflicts. The London Production opened on June 28, 2006. A national tour has been semi-confirmed on the official website. Other foreign productions are now set to open, beginning with a Swedish production opening February 9, 2007 [1] and a Finnish production 27 February, 2007 [2]
[edit] Plot details
[edit] Act One
The show begins with the "Avenue Q Theme", and then we meet Princeton, an optimistic recent college graduate with a useless degree in English, is looking for an affordable apartment in New York City ("What Do You Do with a BA in English?/It Sucks to Be Me"). Walking along Avenue Q, he meets a group of neighbors: Brian, an unemployed aspiring comedian; Kate Monster, an assistant kindergarten teacher who can't get a date; Nicky and Rod, two roommates who are fed up with each other; Christmas Eve, Brian's fiancée, a Japanese immigrant who wants to work as a therapist but doesn't have any clients; and Gary Coleman, former child star of the TV show Diff'rent Strokes, who now works as an apartment superintendent. They are all trying to find out whose life sucks the most. Everyone unanimously declares Gary the winner because people are constantly stopping him to ask him "Whatchu talkin bout, Willis?". Princeton likes the neighborhood, and everyone welcomes him to his new home.
Rod is about to have a quiet time at home reading his favorite book when he is interrupted by Nicky who wants to share a story about a gay man he met on the Subway earlier that morning. Rod gets defensive at the mention of homosexuality, and Nicky assures his roommate that he would have no problem accepting Rod if he were gay ("If You Were Gay").
Princeton struggles to discover the purpose of his life. He finds a lucky penny that was made in his birthyear and decides things are looking up in his search ("Purpose"). Christmas Eve, Brian, and Gary all explain their purpose in life. Princeton then meets Kate in the street and asks what her purpose is. She tells him about how when she was younger, she wanted to go to a place made specially for monsters. Princeton asks whether she and Trekkie Monster are related, but Kate is repulsed at the idea, calling him racist. Princeton then claims that she and her dream of a monster school are also racist, and they agree, along with a few other neighbours, that ("Everyone's a Little Bit Racist"). Later, Princeton is approached by the Bad Idea Bears, two innocent-looking teddy bears who encourage him to spend his money on beer rather than put it in the bank.
Kate receives a phone call from her boss Mrs Thistletwat telling her that because she has heart replacement surgery next week, she needs Kate to fill in in her absence in the morning, and that she may teach an entire lesson on whatever subject she likes. Kate decides that she will teach about the Internet. But she finds out from Trekkie Monster and the other men that ("The Internet is for Porn"). Kate thinks Princeton might have a crush on her, and when he comes over to deliver a ("Mix Tape"), her suspicions are confirmed. Princeton then invites her to the Around the Clock Café that night.
At the café, Brian performs the opening act ("I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today") and then introduces Lucy the Slut, who sings ("Special"). Having had an enjoyable evening, Kate and Princeton are ready to go home, but the Bad Idea Bears suggest that they have some harmless Long Island Iced Teas (Absinthe Daiquiris in the London show) and play some drinking games. While Kate is retrieving a round of drinks, Lucy tells Princeton that when he's ready for a real woman, she'll be around. In their drunken state, Kate and Princeton are convinced by the Bad Idea Bears to go home and have sex. Gary Coleman is called by other tenants to tell Princeton and Kate to quiet down, but Coleman says that ("You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want [When You're Making Love]").
Rod cannot sleep while Nicky snores loudly in the next bed. Nicky begins to talk in his sleep about his attraction to Rod. Rod is jubilant because it seems that his secret crush is mutual. However, he wakes to discover that it was he who had been dreaming. Meanwhile, Kate and Princeton lie in bed and explain how happy they are with each other. Princeton gives Kate his lucky penny as a gift to let her know how much she means to him ("Fantasies Come True").
The next morning, Kate wakes to Mrs Thistletwat's voice on the phone. She has missed the morning classes she was supposed to teach. Kate, angered by all this, quits her job. Princeton asks her to be his girlfriend and to accompany him to Brian and Christmas Eve's wedding. At the wedding, the neighbors ask Nicky whether Rod is gay. Nicky confirms that Rod is a closeted homosexual; Rod overhears him and vehemently denies this, stating that he has a whole second life that no one has ever heard of--including a Canadian girlfriend ("My Girlfriend Who Lives in Canada"). Rod then throws Nicky out of their apartment.
Princeton, scared of commitment after witnessing the wedding, breaks up with Kate. Kate ends the first act with a note of defiance ("There's a Fine, Fine Line").
[edit] Act Two
At the top of act two, Princeton sits alone in his apartment ("It Sucks to Be Me [Reprise]"). After two weeks, he is in debt, unemployed, single, and still purposeless. The Bad Idea Bears try to convince him to hang himself, but with no luck. Brian, Christmas Eve, Trekkie Monster, Nicky, and Gary Coleman arrive to take Princeton back outside to remind him that "There is Life Outside Your Apartment". On the way, they meet Lucy the Slut, and Princeton decides to take her home with him. Angry at Princeton, Kate talks to Christmas Eve, who explains that the reason Kate is angry at Princeton is that she loves him so much ("The More You Ruv Someone"). Kate comes to Princeton's apartment to give him a letter, inviting him to meet her at the top of the Empire State Building. He is in the shower when Kate arrives, so she gives the letter to Lucy, who promptly destroys it.
Nicky has been staying with Brian since he was kicked out, but Christmas Eve can't take having a puppet slob in the apartment anymore. They throw him out on the street, and Nicky has to beg for money. Gary Coleman laughs at Nicky's downtrodden state, admitting that he cannot help feeling a sense of ("Schadenfreude") at the sight.
Lucy has abandoned Princeton, who goes out looking for her. Kate, angry that Princeton seems to have stood her up, throws the penny he gave her off the Empire State Building. Many yards below, an unsuspecting Lucy gets hit in the head by the falling penny and knocked into a coma. At the hospital, Kate visits Princeton and they attempt to work out their problems, but Princeton is still not ready for commitment. Nicky and Rod encounter each other, and Nicky tries to apologize, but Rod won't listen. He consults with Christmas Eve, who tells him everything will be okay. Nicky is out on the street, Kate is alone on the balcony of the Empire State Building, and Princeton sits at Lucy's bedside. All of them ponder what it would be like to go back to happier, easier times ("I Wish I Could Go Back to College").
Passing Nicky in the street and reluctantly giving him a quarter, Princeton realizes that he should be thinking about other people. He decides to raise the money to build Kate's monster school. Nicky realizes, after reluctantly giving Princeton all his money, that he needs to find a way to get back to his apartment and resolves to find a boyfriend for Rod. Together with Gary Coleman, Brian, and Christmas Eve, they raise some money ("The Money Song"). It's not enough, so they ask Trekkie. When he finds out what it is for, he remembers his hellish school days ("School for Monsters"), and donates $10,000,000.00, earned by investing in pornography ("The Money Song [Reprise]").
The completed monster school is revealed to Kate. Christmas Eve and Brian then announce that they are leaving Avenue Q for the Lower East Side. Brian is becoming a consultant, and Christmas Eve has landed a high-paying client with a lot of problems. Everyone believes it's Rod, who arrives on the scene with champagne. He finally reveals that he is gay. He has lightened up and invites Nicky back in. Nicky has found him a boyfriend named Ricky, who looks just like Nicky only more muscular. Meanwhile, the Bad Idea Bears have found scientology, and Lucy has recovered from her injury to become a born-again Christian. Kate cannot believe that the monster school is finally a reality--or that Princeton devised the whole project. Princeton asks her for a second chance, and Kate says they'll take it a day at a time ("There's a Fine, Fine Line [Reprise]").
A young kid, just out of college with a useless BA in English, comes to look at Brian and Christmas Eve's for-rent apartment, and Princeton has a revelation. This kid is in the same position he was, and he must pass on everything he's learned. He has found his purpose: to put all his knowledge into a show. Everyone immediately shoots the idea down, and the kid flips Princeton the bird and departs angrily. Princeton worries that he may never find his purpose, but the others encourage him to cheer up. Life may be bad at the moment, but everything in life is only "For Now."
[edit] Tony Awards and Nominations
Avenue Q was nominated for six Tony Awards for the 2003 Broadway season, winning three:
- Tony Award for Best Musical
- Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (Jeff Whitty)
- Tony Award for Best Original Score (Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (Jason Moore) (nomination)
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (John Tartaglia) (nomination)
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Stephanie D'Abruzzo) (nomination)
[edit] List of main characters
- Princeton, a recently graduated English major who trys to find his purpose in life.
- Kate Monster, a lovelorn kindergarten teaching assistant who wishes to create a school for monsters, Parody of Prairie Dawn.
- Rod, a Republican investment banker who is secretly gay. Parody of Bert.
- Nicky, Rod's roommate, a messy slacker; Parody of Ernie.
- Trekkie Monster, who spends most of his time on the internet looking at porn; Parody of Cookie Monster.
- Lucy the Slut, a nightclub singer who is as slutty as her name suggests; "Lucy's like what would have happened if Prairie Dawn on Sesame Street had grown up and gone bad."[2]
- Gary Coleman, the former star of Diff'rent Strokes, is the apartment building superintendent; a non-puppet character played by a female on Broadway, but a male in the West End
- Brian, a down-on-his-luck Jewish 32-year-old who has trouble keeping steady employment and dreams of being a stand-up comedian. Engaged to Christmas Eve. A non-puppet character.
- Christmas Eve, a Japanese immigrant and Brian's fiancée. She is a therapist who has no clients; a non-puppet character.
Other Characters
- Mrs. Lavinia Thistletwat, an old Kindergarten teacher with Kate as her assistant.
- The Bad Idea Bears, the two adorable and sinister bears who can convince anyone to do something bad in the most adorable way.
- The Newcomer, the young man resembling Princeton that comes to Avenue Q planning to move into the vacant apartment.
- Ricky, the new boyfriend that Nicky has found for Rod via the internet. He looks an awful lot like Nicky, hence the name similarities. When Nicky presents him to Rod, he says "Oh, I think I know your type."
[edit] List of songs
Act I
- "The Avenue Q Theme" - Company
- "What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?" - Princeton
- "It Sucks to Be Me" - Brian, Kate Monster, Rod, Nicky, Christmas Eve, Gary Coleman and Princeton
- "If You Were Gay" - Nicky and Rod
- "Purpose" - Princeton and Company
- "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" - Princeton, Kate Monster, Gary Coleman, Brian and Christmas Eve
- "The Internet Is for Porn" - Kate Monster, Trekkie Monster, Brian, Gary Coleman, Rod and Princeton
- "Mix Tape" - Kate Monster and Princeton
- "I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today" - Brian
- "Special" - Lucy the Slut
- "You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love)" - Gary Coleman, Bad Idea Bears, Princeton, Kate Monster, and Company
- "Fantasies Come True" - Rod, Kate Monster, Nicky and Princeton
- "My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada" - Rod
- "There's a Fine, Fine Line" - Kate Monster
Act II
- "It Sucks to Be Me (Reprise)" - Princeton
- "There Is Life Outside Your Apartment" - Brian and Company
- "The More You Ruv Someone" - Christmas Eve and Kate Monster
- "Schadenfreude" - Gary Coleman and Nicky
- "I Wish I Could Go Back to College" - Kate Monster, Nicky and Princeton
- "The Money Song" - Nicky, Princeton, Gary Coleman, Brian and Christmas Eve
- "School for Monsters" - Trekkie Monster and Company
- "The Money Song (Reprise)" - Trekkie Monster and Company
- "There's a Fine, Fine Line (Reprise)" - Princeton and Kate Monster
- "What Do You Do With a B.A. in English? (Reprise)" - Newcomer
- "For Now" - Kate Monster, Brian, Gary Coleman, Nicky, Rod, Christmas Eve, Trekkie Monster, Lucy the Slut, The Bad Idea Bears, Princeton and Company
[edit] Other Avenue Q songs
So far, there are five Avenue Q songs that are not in the actual show itself and one song written for and cut from the London production.
- "Tear It Up and Throw It Away": the only original number cut from the show. The plot of the song is that Kate Monster receives jury duty and won't be able to go to the aquarium with Nicky. However, Nicky tells her that jury duty is a load of crap and nobody will notice if you just don't go. The song was written back when the concept was mooted for cable TV, not Broadway. Since the number has no relevance to the plot as it is today (and Kate Monster and Trekkie Monster (the actor plays Nicky as well) have a duet anyway in "The Internet is for Porn"), it was the first thing thrown out, and they wrote Schadenfreude as Nicky's duet (this time with Gary Coleman). Even though it was cut out of the musical way before the show went on, Rick Lyon and Stephanie D'Abruzzo recorded the song with a full orchestra and released the mp3 (easily found on file-sharing programs). The song is not found as a bonus track on the cast recording, but it is included with a souvenir program.
- "Rod's Dilemma": Written for Tony voters, this song cleverly disguises the Tonys as Rod's choice for voting for his rotary club's president. He is largely undecided, and the residents of Avenue Q tell him to "vote his heart". Princeton reminds everybody that "it's a secret ballot, so nobody has to know who you voted for!" The song even pokes fun at how it's trying to take the honest way to grab Best Musical, when the end chorus proclaims "Vote Your Heart! [faintly in the background] (On Avenue Q!)" Many claim this song won them the Tony, and it is available to hear on the official website.
- "Only in Vegas": This song was written for Vegas promotion. It features Rick Lyon as Steve Wynn telling the cast of Avenue Q how happy they will be in Vegas. The song was performed on Regis and Kelly and in some press and media events. The song is also noteworthy in that it is the first song written for Avenue Q to not try to bear similarities to Sesame Street songs, but rather pay tribute to Vegas showroom songs. It, as well, is the first Avenue Q recording to not feature the original Broadway cast.
- "Rod's Christmas": This song can be found on the CD Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols for a Cure, Vol. 5. In this song, Rod is the headliner at the beautiful Don't Tell Daddy's Cabaret and Night Club. He states that Christmas is the time of year where he can combine his two great loves of "Christmas carols, and showtunes". He then goes on to sing a Christmas medley of "Oh Come, All Ye Faitful", "Angels We Have Heard On High", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "The Holly and the Ivy", "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", and "Go Tell It On the Mountain". He gets no applause. Other Carols for a Cure recordings featuring Avenue Q cast members include Lucy the Slut singing "Go Tell It On the Mountain" and "The Holi-Daze", which includes the entire cast, just not in character.
- "Time": Made with the London cast (actually only one member), it was used in London previews, showcased on the video screens at the buffer of intermission. It featured a video of Nicky sitting on the toilet, singing about how he is taking his time before the next act begun, with the stagehands yelling at him to get out. It failed miserably during the previews and was immediately removed. The CD, however, is being released with souvenir brochures (Programs) and can be found, unlike the Vegas song. The cut video is also available on YouTube. It also features a short appearance by Matt Lucas.
[edit] Current Broadway Cast
- Princeton/Rod: Howie Michael Smith
- Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut: Mary Faber
- Trekkie Monster, Nicky, Bear, Etc.: Christian Anderson
- Gary Coleman: Haneefah Wood
- Brian: Evan Harrington
- Christmas Eve: Ann Sanders
- Mrs. Thistletwat, Bear, Etc.: Jennifer Barnhart
- Ensemble: Matt Schreiber and Jonathan Root
- Swings: Minglie Chen and Carmen Ruby Floyd
- Standby for Kate/Lucy: Aymee Garcia
[edit] Cast Replacements
- Barrett Foa replaced John Tartaglia as Princeton/Rod on February 1, 2005.
- Haneefah Wood replaced Natalie Venetia Belcon as Gary Coleman on November 20, 2005.
- Mary Faber replaced Stephanie D'Abruzzo as Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut on December 26, 2005.
- Evan Harrington replaced Jordan Gelber as Brian on January 31, 2006.
- Ann Sanders replaced Ann Harada as Christmas Eve on February 27, 2006.
- Howie Michael Smith replaced Barrett Foa as Princeton/Rod on July 2, 2006.
- Robert McClure replaced Rick Lyon as Trekkie Monster, Nicky, Bear, Etc. on October 30, 2006.
- Kelli Sawyer replaced Mary Faber as Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut on October 30, 2006.
- Mary Faber returned to the role of Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut on December 19, 2006.
- Christian Anderson replaced Robert McClure as Nicky, Trekkie Monster, Bear, Etc. on January 29, 2007
[edit] Las Vegas Production
On September 8, 2005, a second production of Avenue Q opened up at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel and casino in Las Vegas. This made Avenue Q unable to tour, and only available to be produced in Vegas, New York and outside North America (e.g. London, where it opened in June 2006).
From September 2005 to the end of the year, the show stayed in its original Broadway form, with two acts and an intermission, as on Broadway with two different casts classified as the Blue Bear and Yellow Bear Casts.
In Vegas, in a brand new 1,200 seat theater built specially for the show, there were some differences from the Broadway production, including new digital projection screens, a new reprise of "It Sucks To Be Me" for Princeton at the top of Act Two and a newly orchestrated entr'acte, new orchestrations for "Purpose", a trimmed "The Money Song" and a whole new rock arrangement of "There Is Life Outside Your Apartment", as well as a few new jokes more suited to Vegas audiences. These changes have since been incorporated into the Broadway version.
In mid-January 2006, the show was cut to 90 minutes, removing the intermission and trimming 10-15 minutes of material:
- Cuts were made to the songs "Mix Tape", "Fantasies Come True" and "Schadenfreude".
- The scene after "Fantasies Come True", where Kate loses her job, but gains Princeton as a boyfriend, no longer existed. It was only implied that Kate and Princeton are a couple at the wedding.
- Since they deleted the intermission, Princeton breaks up with Kate, but instead of singing "There's a Fine, Fine Line", Kate simply walks back into her apartment. The TV screens then flashed "Three Weeks Later", zipping right to the scene (in what would be act two) that immediately follows the deleted "There Is Life Outside Your Apartment". Lucy simply showed up, now reading as that she's been seeing Princeton for a while.
- The Bad Idea Bears now showed up when Lucy tears up Kate's letter.
- The hospital scene between Kate and Princeton was extended with newly written dialogue, with Kate actually saying that she lost her job, and wondering why Princeton would want Lucy. Princeton's words only made her cry. She then sang "There's a Fine, Fine Line", which replaced the now-gone "I Wish I Could Go Back To College".
- The scene in which Rod tells Christmas Eve that he misses Nicky was thrown out.
The setting of the Vegas version of the show remained, of course, still New York.
Another difference between the Broadway and Vegas productions was that the merchandising in Vegas was far more extensive, including many souvenirs which were not available at all in New York.
Steve Wynn went so far as to dress twenty cabs in orange fuzz to promote the show. They had "Q" in white letters etched in front.
Though the show was reported to have sold consistently at roughly 65% (of 1,200 seats, 10 performances a week) and to have been profitable[citation needed], it was announced the Vegas production would close on May 28, 2006, after only a 9 month run. The reason for the closing was said to be Spamalot, for which the Wynn had also bought rights. Spamalot was originally going to be housed in a new theater to be built alongside Avenue Q. However, the construction of a new theater would have intruded on the Wynn's popular golf course and that, combined with Avenue Q's unspectacular sales record, prompted the Wynn to close Avenue Q and move Spamalot into its theater instead. Spamalot will begin previews at the expanded and redubbed "Grail Theater" in March of 2007.
The closing of the show in Las Vegas released the Avenue Q producers from their exclusivity agreement and therefore it is presumed that plans for a tour and/or sit-down productions will be announced shortly.
ORIGINAL LAS VEGAS CASTS:
Yellow Bear Cast:
Jonathan Root**: Princeton/Rod
Kelli Sawyer**: Kate Monster/Lucy The Slut
David Benoit: Nicky/Trekkie Monster/Bear
Nicholas Kohn: Brian
Haneefah Wood**: Gary
Angela Ai: Christmas Eve
Sharon Wheatley: Mrs T/Bear
Phyre Hawkins: Ensemble
Jennie Kwan: Ensemble
Blue Bear Cast:
John Tartaglia*: Princeton/Rod
Brynn O'Malley: Kate Monster/Lucy The Slut
Rick Lyon*: Nicky/Trekkie Monster/Bear
Cole Porter: Brian
Tonya Dixon: Gary
Natalie Gray: Christmas Eve
Rita Dolphin: Mrs T/Bear
Steven Booth: Ensemble
Michelle Lane: Ensemble
Jay Garcia: Ensemble
*From the original Broadway cast.
**Now in the current Broadway cast.
[edit] London Production
A third production began performances in June 2006 in London's West End at the Noël Coward Theatre (recently renamed from the Albery Theatre - Avenue Q is its first production) with Cameron Mackintosh at the helm. The show previewed on June 1, 2006 and received its European premiere on 28 June 2006. Avenue Q is currently booking in London until 26th January, 2008. It is only the third production of the musical in the world, and the first outside the United States. The London show created its own official Avenue Q Myspace site, to keep fans upto date with news and special apperances. The production also unveiled a brand new logo for the show (visible on the production's UK website), presumably since the original logo, styled after the New York City Subway system graphics, would have little resonance with a London audience, however both logos are used.
The most noticeable initial change was that Gary Coleman was assumed not to be well known enough for a UK audience, and the character was changed to just "Gary - that famous kid from TV" and cast as a male actor instead of a female. This also caused a rewrite of the orchestration's nod to Diff'rent Strokes in "It Sucks To Be Me".
In subsequent performances however, after audience polling, the character's name was changed back to Gary Coleman, and the original dialogue of his catchphrase: "Whatchoo talkin' about Willis?" has been reinstated after a trial of "Try havin' people stopping you and saying 'I thought you was dead!'". His line in "It Sucks To Be Me" is however different from the Broadway Show, stating - "I was the cutest little black kid on TV. I made a zillion dollars that my parents stole from me. My life was over when I hit puberty. But I'm here, fixing the toilets, on Avenue Q!"
Also changed in "It Sucks To Be Me" is Christmas Eve's line 'Tried to work in Chinese Restaurant' instead of 'Korean Deli'. There are slight alterations all the way through however, for example 'Those stupid Polacks' in 'Everyone's A Little Bit Racist' to 'Those French people are such assholes', Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx stated this change was not for any cultural reason, they just thought it was funnier.
In 'The Internet Is for Porn', instead of being embarrassed about what he did after sending Kate the e-card, Princeton nods his head vigorously with his mouth open. In 'Special', Lucy headlined in The Vatican City instead of Celebration, Florida and London instead of Bangkok. And at the beginning of intermission, an animation shows the word 'Intermission' colliding with 'val', leaving the more-British 'Interval.'
A few bits of music were cut for example the middle of 'Schadenfreude' (Straight A students getting B's, cutting off Oscar speech etc) and 'Watching A Frat Boy Realize...' was changed to 'Seeing a Drunk Guy realise...' Also the pacing of 'Purpose' is longer and slower in the beginning than in the original version. The music at the beginning of 'Life outside your apartment' is also slightly rockier than the original. The changes mostly come from the Las Vegas version of the show.
Cast:
- Jon Robyns: Princeton/Rod
- Julie Atherton: Kate Monster/Lucy The Slut
- Simon Lipkin: Nicky/Trekkie Monster/Bear
- Sion Lloyd: Brian
- Giles Terera: Gary
- Naoko Mori: Christmas Eve
- Clare Foster: Mrs T/Bear
- Luke Evans: Ensemble
- Gloria Onitiri: Ensemble
- Jacqui Sanchez: Ensemble
- Matthew J Henry: Swing
- Gabriel Vick: Swing
- Yanle Zhong: Swing
- Awards
- The London cast of Avenue Q won the Variety Club Showbiz Theatre Award for 2006. The entire cast accepted the award - along with Jason Moore, the original director - and performed "It Sucks To Be Me" immediately afterwards.
[edit] Swedish Production
The first translated version of the musical opened on February 16, 2007 in Stockholm, Sweden at Maxim teatern.
Cast:
- Princeton/Rod: Jakob Stadell
- Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut: Cecilia Wrangel
- Nicky/Trekkie Monster/Bad Idea Bears: Fredrik Lycke
- Gary Coleman: Andreas Österberg
- Christmas Eve: Maria Kim
- Brian: Anders Öjebo
- Frau von Surfitt (Mrs. Thistletwat)/Bad Idea Bears: Anna Ståhl
[edit] National Tour
Plans for First National Tour were confirmed in January 2007. San Francisco launch on August 7 was confirmed in March 2007. National Tour cast yet to be announced.
[edit] Location
As stated in the Broadway Playbill, the scene is a fictional street located "in an outerborough of New York City"
Manhattan (which is the quintessential innerborough of New York City) has well-known Avenues A, B, C, and D, making up the Alphabet City neighborhood (where Rent takes place; now considered part of the East Village). Some say Avenue Q is the hypothetical extension of that sequence: far from Manhattan, where the rents are actually affordable for recent college graduates. However in the play, Brian and Christmas Eve eventually move from Avenue Q to the East Village, making this even more unlikely.
Alternately, Avenue Q could be in the Midwood and Gravesend area of Brooklyn, where there are also Avenues A, B, C, etc. all the way up to Avenue Z, with a few exceptions. One of the exceptions is Avenue Q; the street between Avenue P and Avenue R is known as Quentin Road, named for the youngest son of President Theodore Roosevelt. The Q subway train, whose symbol used to be a Q in an orange circle resembling the Avenue Q logo, travels through this neighborhood, and the Kings Highway station is almost on Quentin Road.
The authors have stated that Avenue Q, the show's namesake, is fictional and is not related to this or any other particular street.
[edit] Events and appearances of Q
On September 30, 2004, the day of the first Bush-Kerry presidential debate, the cast of Avenue Q presented their version, with portrait puppets of Bush and Kerry created by Rick Lyon, called Avenue Q&A, on a special stage set up in the middle of Times Square. Eighteen television networks covered the event. Rick Lyon puppeteered George W. Bush while Jennifer Barnhart puppeteered John Kerry. Each puppet sang to the other in response to questions from Avenue Q's concerned "residents", and then the whole cast sang to the rain-drenched crowds to "Vote your heart!".
Regis and Kelly puppets created by Rick Lyon hosted the first few minutes of an episode of Live! with Regis and Kelly. Rod and John Tartagalia were "man-on-the-street"-style interviewers on the 2005 CBS broadcast of the Macy's Day Parade.
Also, Stephanie D'Abruzzo who plays Kate monster/Lucy the slut in the Original Broadway cast, makes several appearances on Vh1's hit show "I love the 90's"
Rod and John Tartaglia also appeared alongside Michael Arden, Laura Benanti, Rosie O’Donnell, Ben Vereen and other Broadway superstars in a World AIDS Day benefit concert of Pippin held at the Manhattan Theatre on November 29, 2004. Rod played "The Head".
In another World AIDS Day benefit the original cast of Avenue Q and the cast of the recent Broadway revival of Fiddler On The Roof came together to present a ten-minute performance which was essentially a spoof of "Fiddler" called "Avenue Jew". It begins with Trekkie Monster posing as the fiddler playing a badly sounding version of the Fiddler Theme and when he finishes, Trekkie just eats the fiddle. In a sort of epilogue to Tevye's story, he, his wife Golde, and his two remaining unwed daughters arrive on Avenue Jew, an area inhabited by Jewish puppets including: Kate Monstervitz (played by Kate Monster), The Matchmaker (played by Mrs. Thistletwat) and the rest of the Q cast (minus Lucy The Slut) who played Jewish versions of themselves. Avenue Jew is also home to some human Jews such as Brian and Hannukah Eve (played by Christmas Eve), the human Jews are fed up with the puppet Jews upstaging them constantly and there is great division between them. Jewish-American Princeton (played by Princeton) arrives (to the dismay of the humans who have yet another puppet to contend with) asking "What do you do with a B.A. in Yiddish?". One of Tevye's daughter's, Shprintze, falls in love with Princeton but Tevye forbids their union and, after a "If I Were A Rich Man" pun, it seems there is no hope for the couple. Rod interrupts begging The Matchmaker to find him a gay Jewish man he can marry and The Matchmaker obliges by setting him up with one of the new human arrivals: Lazar Wolf (Tevye is surprised Lazar is gay, but Lazar simply states that he is "a lonely man"). Jewish-American Princeton and Sprintze tell Tevye that they wish to be married, after a brief interior monologue Tevye consents and the couple run off to prepare. Rod and Lazar Wolf also wish to be wed, so they decide to ask permission from the Tsar... who just happens to be George W. Bush (in puppet form). Bush forbids gay marriage, insisting that marriage is only for heterosexuals. Bush is interrupted by Ben Brantley who appears to ask where exactly the real Jewish people in the cast are, and the company finish with a rousing finale telling us that "everyone's a little bit Jewish" and "in theatre you can be whatever you want to be".
Songs that are spoofed in this performance are listed here:
SONGS FROM 'AVENUE Q'
- Avenue Q Theme (becomes the Avenue Jew Theme)
- What Do You Do With A B.A. In English? (becomes What Do You Do With A B.A In Yiddish)
- It Sucks To Be Me (a few lines of this are sung, with different lyrics, by Benjamin Brantley, complaining about Broadway directors casting against type, race, ethnicity and sexuality)
- Everyone's A Little Bit Racist (becomes Everyone's A Little Bit Jewish)
SONGS FROM 'FIDDLER ON THE ROOF'
- Tradition (a small part of Tradition is turned into an argument between the puppets and the humans over who is better)
- If I Were A Rich Man (becomes If I Were A Human, a joke made by Jewish-American Princeton)
- Matchmaker (sung almost exactly the same as the original version however this time it is Rod asking for a homosexual Jew to marry)
- Tevye's Monologue (becomes George W. Bush's Monologue as he forbids gay marriage)
- Do You Love Me (Brian asking Hannukah Eve)
In November 2005, Avenue Q's website held a "One Night Stand" contest, calling for people to register their puppets and see whose was most worthy to be put next to Rick Lyon's. Eventually, the contest narrowed to ten entrants, and later to three, at which point the worthiest puppet and puppeteer were voted on. Andrew MacDonald Smith and his puppet Maurice Tipo won, and thus, on March 10, 2006, Andrew MacDonald Smith and his puppet Maurice Tipo appeared onstage during a show performance, appearing in a café scene, singing the opening song and curtain call.
In July 2006, several members of Avenue Q appeared for the opening ceremonies of the Gay Games in Chicago.
In October 2006, Jonathan Root and Princeton presented the award for Best Young Adult Novel at the Quill Book Awards.
In November 2006, the London Cast of Avenue Q appeared on the BBC Children in Need show and performed "It Sucks To Be Me".
In December 2006, the London Cast of Avenue Q performed on the Royal Variety Performance and performed "It Sucks To Be Me", "For Now" and "Special", in which 'Lucy the Slut' suggested through lyrics and dialogue she was making a pass at Charles, Prince of Wales.
[edit] Original Broadway Cast Recording
The original Broadway cast recording of Avenue Q was made on Sunday, August 10, 2003, at Right Track Studio A, 168 West 48th Street, New York City. The producer of the album was Jay David Saks, one of RCA Victor’s most experienced Broadway and Classical producers and the winner of several Grammy Awards. The album contains almost all of the music from the show, with the cast and band that opened on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre on July 30, 2003.
The album was released on Monday, October 6, 2003 with the number 82876-55923-2. It has been in the top ten of the Billboard Top Cast Album Chart ever since the chart's launch on January 12, 2006 (information from Billboard, November 2006). It was nominated for the Musical Show Album category in the 2004 Grammy Awards (information from Variety, December 7, 2004).
The musical supervision, orchestration and arrangements for Avenue Q and its cast album are by Stephen Oremus.
The RCA album of Avenue Q presents the music in the order it appears in the show. The only items omitted are short, and all except one are instrumentals: “The Wedding” (11B), “Party Music (11C), “Princeton’s Nightmare” (12B), Entr’acte (13A), Princeton’s reprise of “It Sucks To Be Me” (a later addition at the start of Act 2), “Empire State Crossovers” (16A) and the intros and playoffs to several songs (details and numbering from the complete piano-conductor score, as revised on July 28, 2003).
The track listing of the album is as follows:
- "The Avenue Q Theme" — Company
- "What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?" — John Tartaglia;
- "It Sucks to Be Me" — Jordan Gelber, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, John Tartaglia, Rick Lyon, Ann Harada, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jennifer Barnhart
- "If You Were Gay" — Rick Lyon and John Tartaglia
- "Purpose" — John Tartaglia and Company
- "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" — John Tartaglia, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada
- "The Internet Is for Porn" — Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Rick Lyon and the Guys
- "Mix Tape" — Stephanie D’Abruzzo, John Tartaglia
- "I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today — Jordan Gelber
- "Special" — Stephanie D’Abruzzo
- "You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love)" — Natalie Venetia Belcon, Rick Lyon, Jennifer Barnhart and Ensemble with Stephanie D’Abruzzo, John Tartaglia, Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada
- "Fantasies Come True" — John Tartaglia, Stephanie D’Abruzzo with Rick Lyon
- "My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada" — John Tartaglia
- "There's a Fine, Fine Line" — Stephanie D’Abruzzo
- "There Is Life Outside Your Apartment" — Jordan Gelber, John Tartaglia and Company
- "The More You Ruv Someone" — Ann Harada, Stephanie D’Abruzzo
- "Schadenfreude" — Natalie Venetia Belcon, Rick Lyon
- "I Wish I Could Go Back to College" — Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Rick Lyon, John Tartaglia
- "The Money Song" — Rick Lyon, John Tartaglia, Natalie Venetia Belcon with Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada, Jennifer Barnhart
- "School for Monsters" / "The Money Song" (reprise) — Rick Lyon and Company
- "There's a Fine, Fine Line" (reprise) — John Tartaglia, Stephanie D’Abruzzo with Ann Harada / "What Do You Do With a B.A. in English?" (reprise) — Rick Lyon with Natalie Venetia Belcon, John Tartaglia, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Jordan Gelber and Jennifer Barnhart
- "For Now" — Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Jordan Gelber, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Ann Harada, Rick Lyon, John Tartaglia, Jennifer Barnhart
The Avenue Q Band Conductor: Gary Adler Gary Adler: Piano/Synthesizer Mark Hartmann: Synthesizer/Associate Conductor Patience Higgins: Alto Sax, Flute, Clarinet Brian Koonin: Guitar and Banjo Mary Ann McSweeney: Acoustic and Electric Bass Michael Croiter: Drums and Percussion
Though not included on the cast album, the cut song “Tear It Up And Throw It Away” was recorded by Stephanie D’Abruzzo and Rick Lyon with the Avenue Q Band (probably at the same session as the complete cast recording), and issued for a time inside copies of the souvenir program book sold at the John Golden Theatre. Other recorded songs by members of the Broadway cast of Avenue Q include three which are not part of the show: "Rod's Dilemma" (which can be heard on avenueq.com), and two Christmas songs: "Rod's Christmas" (on Carols For A Cure, Vol. 5) and "Holi-Daze" (on Carols For A Cure, Vol. 8). ["Holi-Daze" does not feature the cast in character] See "Other Avenue Q Songs" for more information.
[edit] Internet Popularity of "Q" Songs
"The Internet is for Porn," a song where Trekkie Monster frustrates Kate's attempt to design a kindergarten lesson plan about the Internet by pointing out his favorite use, has become an internet phenomenon. Several videos and animations on the Internet use characters from other sources to sing on top of the audio track, with one of the most popular being a fan-made flash featuring Hilary Duff and Howard Stern on Albino Blacksheep.
Various users of UrbanDictionary.com use the lyrics to "Schadenfreude" as a common example to the urban definition for schadenfreude.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ These toys are really us
- ^ Rick Lyon Segment on Compact Broadway
- ^ [Sam|(Sam)]; Paul Wartenberg, Luke Wehner, Stevo B, Janet Weiss & bob the bleeder (2003-05-18). Urban Dictionary: schadenfreude (HTML). Urban Dictionary 1. Urban Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2007-01-27. Retrieved on January 30, 2007. “Nicky: "Schadenfruede, what's that, some sort of Nazi word?" Gary Coleman: "Yep, it's German for 'Happiness at the misfortune of others!'"”
[edit] External links
- Official website
- London Production Website
- Sweden Production Website
- Finland Production Website
- Avenue Jew
- Photos from the Broadway production
- 30 second clips from the original cast album
- Internet Broadway Database entry
- Official website of Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, Avenue Q creators/composers/lyricists
- Personal website of Jeff Whitty, Avenue Q book writer
- Playbill Online coverage of Avenue Q's mock presidential debate in Times Square
- ABC News: "'Avenue Q' Closing in Las Vegas"
- Coverage of the Pippin World AIDS Day Benefit Concert - includes photo of Rod as "The Head"
- Coverage of Andrew MacDonald Smith's and Maurice Tipo's appearance onstage in the March 10, 2006 performance of Avenue Q
- Downloadable Compact Broadway pilot show spotlighting Avenue Q
- musicOMH.com review of the London production of Avenue Q
- Production: Avenue Q - Working in the Theatre Seminar video at American Theatre Wing.org, September 2003
- Robyn Goodman (producer) - Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org, August 2005
- Avenue Q Audition Advice & Show Information from MusicalTheatreAudition.com
