Avenue Q

Grade: B

I saw Avenue Q for the first time a few weeks ago, and have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. For those of you who don't know, this is a show in which more than half of the characters are puppets. It's done much like an adult-rated version of Sesame Street or the Muppets, with the same sort of educational, corny songs, some of which are randy enough to make a grown woman blush. The greatest charm, I think, lies in the song titles, among them: "What do you do with a BA in English?"; "I Wish I Could Go Back to College"; and "Shadenfreude." The music itself is not spectacular, nor is the plot, which centers around the folks who live on Avenue Q and mostly shows their disfunction and occasional sweetness. This is a show mostly concerned with satirizing Sesame Street-type shows and with pointing out truths about society we might not want to admit (for example, with the song "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist").

Avenue Q deserves points for originality and wit. I do think that the biggest blunder of the Tony Awards in 2004, however, was awarding Avenue Q the Tony for Best Musical over Wicked.

A good one to see for adults, although children should steer clear (as the posters warn, there is extreme puppet nudity).