Now it is a little fan fact that Elijah saw the musical Avenue Q in the states and really liked it. I went to see it over here a couple of weeks ago and managed to purchase some badges with witty lines from the show. (It really is good. Check it out) Considering Elijah had just signed more than 800 autographs by the time he got to me I thought it appropriate to give him the badge that says “It sucks to be me”.
Start conversation:
A: I thought this might be quite appropriate.
*Elijah’s face lightsup as he picks up badge.
E: Oh wow Avenue Q that is so cool! Have you seen it?
A: Yeah I saw it a couple of weeks ago. It’s great isn’t it?
E: Oh yeah, is it over here now then? Has anyone come over?
A: Yeah its great. The curent cast asr amazing, you should definately go and see it. the person that played Christmas Eve came over to play her.
E: Oh that’s so cool.
A: Now make sure you wear it with pride!
E: Oh yeah I will. Thanks
And thus endeth the Elijah conversation. How cool!! Very.

Dominic Cavendish in The Telegraph

Alistair Macauley in the FT

Michael Billington in The Guardian

Benedict Nightingale in The Times

It’s a nice piece, but it does highlight to me why I’d rather be blogging than working in TV. The crew were there the same night as I was (1 June) but it took four of them (interviewer, sound guy, camera guy….and err… another guy) an hour or so to get what turned out to be a few seconds on screen. Goodness knows how long it took and how much it cost to produce the whole thing. And to be honest, I’m much more interested in what real people think of the show than whether Sir Cameron Mackintosh thinks he’s taking a risk or not.

Avenue Q has achieved a large amount of fame and critical acclaim in a relatively short period of time. Spawning three separate shows in Broadway, Las Vegas and the recently opened London show at the Noel Coward theatre, Avenue Q well and truly deserved to receive the Tony Award for “Best Musical”.  The thing that distinguishes Avenue Q the most from other musicals is not only its outrageous but amazing music (more about that later) but also the fact that Avenue Qs cast is made up largely of puppets.

Many people wondered if the show would translate well for a British audience, however. The London performance premiered on the 1^st of June and I was there for the occasion.

I should mention before starting that I have been a “Q” fan for a long time before seeing the show so my expectations were high.

The Noel Coward theatre is a very cosy place to visit, nothing like the grand theatres for other recently released musicals such as “We Will Rock You” or “The Lion King”. This really just enhanced the whole experience however, and made it much more enjoyable. Entering the auditorium we had our first view of ‘Avenue Q’ itself – a tumbledown row of small, two storey buildings which will serve as the set for the entire show. Taking our seats we waited with anticipation for the show to start.

Even though I consider myself pretty well read on all things “Q”, I wasn’t expecting the opening that we received. I shan’t spoil it for those preparing to visit but needless to say, it’s damn funny. The first half of the show is a fantastic medley of hilarious songs and dialogue, featuring song titles such as “If you were gay”, “Everyone’s a little bit racist” and the infamous “The Internet is for Porn”. The main plot of “Avenue Q” follows the life of Princeton, a bright eyed college graduate determined to make his mark on the world and to find his “Purpose”. The show details how his life, and the lives of all those living on Avenue Q change over time. The show isn’t linear by any means however. Subplots are fast and frequent, whether it is concerning the sexual orientation of certain “investment banking republicans” or what one should really use the internet for. All these subplots are expertly linked to the main plot, making for a slick and engaging performance. It should be noted that Avenue Q is definitely rated as a show to watch with caution and an open mind, probably not a good idea to bring anyone much younger than 12 to see it.

The cast were fantastic without exception. Special mentions should go to Simon Lipkin who played the roles of Nicky and Trekkie Monster, with his hand up a puppets backside for both. He threw himself completely into his roles and gave a world class performance. Clare Foster also performed with great enthusiasm and played a staggering number of roles including being the second hand of Nicky and Trekkie Monster, Mrs Bear and a myriad of other small parts.

The actual music of the show is simply perfect. Brilliant compositions with fantastic parts and harmonies; equalling and, some might agree, surpassing anything Webber has produced. The music seems to be heavily influenced by traditional style “big band” musicals with fantastic chorus crescendos and real “jazz hand” endings. Many people criticise the music of Avenue Q for being simply one crass song after another. Upon watching the show however, most people will immediately change their minds, generally due to the soaring melodies featured in “Fine Fine Line” (a wistful ballad sung by the lovelorn Kate Monster.) Anybody who knows musical theatre will pick up on this song, not only because of its stark contrast to most of the other music of Avenue Q, but also for true musical genius. This song deserves being placed alongside such musical greats as “Memory” and “So Long As He Needs Me”. Mostly however, the songs are just bouncy, energetic and laugh out loud funny.

Despite this, a failure that should be mentioned is the seemingly random cuts of some songs from their original length and lyrics. Most of these are very annoying and completely pointless, especially to established “Q” fans such as myself. At the premier there was also a major character change from the original for the London audience. The character of “Gary Coleman” (yes that Gary Coleman) to just plain “Gary”. It was assumed that a British audience wouldn’t understand the background of “Gary Coleman”. This effected many song lyrics (although not all of those that were changed!) and many scenes. Thankfully, probably due to intense criticism, this change has been rectified and the London crowd can enjoy the show with the original characters.

Overall the show outshone itself, fulfilling my expectations in everyway; and the cast deserved the standing ovation they received.

So did Avenue Q make the transfer from Broadway to the West End successfully? Well the answer is undoubtedly YES!

by The Freaky Brit 

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The first preview is tonight at the newly-named Noel Coward Theatre – we don't have tickets, but hopefully we'll be talking to people who do.