Avenue Q - Noel Coward Theatre (Review)
Review by Hannah Powell
WHY not start the week with a bang and go and see Avenue Q on a Monday night at the theatre – just like I did!
It’s a rollicking ride where Sesame Street has gone wrong, everyone’s a “little bit racist” and when someone gives you a mix tape, it may or may not mean they have a crush on you…
On the night that I viewed this colourful bonanza of a musical, changes had been made to the cast – but this was not to its detriment.
Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut were played by Clare Foster and brilliantly so, especially when both puppet characters were on stage at the same time.
Although her singing voice is not out of this world, she performs well and with a vibrant energy, connecting with the audience and her romantically intended co-star, Princeton, played by Jon Robyns.
Robyns inhabits the characters well throughout the course of the play and while I was wary at the begging of having a split focus on actors and puppets, soon the line between them disappears and Robyns expressive face just adds to Princeton’s character.
The rest of the cast showed a great range of versatility. At some points, certain members seem to lack energy which although understandable on a long-running show, cannot be acceptable.
Puppets on the West End, joined by a singing cast and crew, could be seen as a gimmick, and the abundant range of puerile humour seen as childish – at some stages, it definitely is!
However, something about the sparkly production means it’s more than just a rude pastiche of Sesame Street and Me and You, as you end up feeling for the characters and celebrating when a certain something happens to Lucy the Slut!
Special mention should also go the band whose cameos at the end made me laugh so hard a little bit of wee came out.