Sesame Street meets South Park: the best way I can describe the brilliance that is Robert Lopez’s Avenue Q, recently debuting on a local Sydney stage by the wonderful North Shore Theatre Company.
This Broadway classic has been sitting pretty on my live-show bucket list for the years on end. I hadn’t actually known of the North Shore Theatre Company until the fateful day I found myself randomly listening to the Avenue Q soundtrack, thinking – when’re these guys gonna roll around Sydney again? (I discovered they did have a few sell-out shows in 2015… which I was dumb enough to miss.)
Turns out, as per one of their famous lyrics – fantasies do come true. All it took was a curious Google search (and honestly, I wasn’t expecting to find much), before I stumbled upon a little ad of the show opening at a small theatre near me.
And as you’ve probably already guessed, I didn’t think twice about snagging tickets. Looks like I’ve used up my luck quota for the year.
As a first-timer at the Independent Theatre, I was taken by the venue’s charm off the bat. It’s an intimate establishment, adorned with an elegant art deco style and an overall warm, cosy atmosphere. My boyfriend and I were pleasantly surprised by just how personal the stage experience would be for us; being seated right at the front of the theatre.
We’re first treated to an amusing announcement warning all parents who may have “accidentally” brought children along with them. This may be a musical with quirky muppets, but it’s as far as kid-friendly as one can go. Sure enough, we’re delivered a delightful show of rampant raunch and endless laughs.
For those unfamiliar with the show, Avenue Q is a creative spin on Sesame Street, the classic children’s show that’s taught us all to hope, to dream, and to reach for the stars growing up.
But it turns out that growing up’s got a lot more stumbles and screw-ups than we were led to believe. And our protagonist – the wide-eyed, optimistic, 22-year old English graduate Princeton – learns this the hard way.
Avenue Q has a script and score of absolute quality, and each and every one of NSTC’s cast members knocked it out of the park. There was hardly a weak performance – in fact, I’d go as far as to say there weren’t any. Whether an emotional or comedic moment, each scene was done with excellent delivery and a superb, faithful portrayal of each iconic character.
Photo courtesy of the North Shore Theatre Company Facebook page.
To make things more impressive, the puppets were masterfully brought to life by each member – and not just through a simple series of arm flails and head nods, but also through the tiniest of subtleties: a frustrated shake, a hair flip, a downtrodden downwards gaze. But it’s not just these puppets putting on a show; their actors also, well, act.
With every line or scene, each puppeteer conveyed the very same emotion as their hand-held character. At times, I found myself focusing more on their facial expressions, rather than their puppet’s movements.
Peter Davidson was wonderful as Princeton, Avenue Q’s newest resident who’s set out to find his life’s true “purpose”. I was thoroughly entertained by all the little quirks he added to his own acting performance, giving us a well-rounded sense of Princeton as a character.
Photo courtesy of the North Shore Theatre Company Facebook page.
Laura Dawson played a brilliant Kate Monster, charming the crowd with her strikingly expressive, upbeat performance and excellent comic delivery. And that voice. Each number featuring her character was a total treat, hitting all the right soprano notes – and gut-wrenching emotions, as seen during “It’s a Fine, Fine Line” – perfectly.
Kris Fenessy and Suzanne Chin as Brian and Christmas Eve (respectively) were also a delight on stage. Like Dawson, Chin had an absolute knock-out voice, stealing the spotlight during her solo, “The More You Ruv Someone”. Her comic timing was also on-point.
Photo courtesy of the North Shore Theatre Company Facebook page.
As for our Bert and Ernie counterparts, Rod and Nicky – if I could play favourites for a hot second, I’d just like to applaud Isaac Downey for one of the most entertaining theatre performances I’ve seen as of late. His portrayal of Rod was perfect, made even better with his own facial nuances and expressive body language.
Photo courtesy of the North Shore Theatre Company Facebook page.
Cam Ralph nailed the voice of Nicky down to a T, and did well in conveying his earnest, mild-mannered personality. Being one of the very few puppets that required an additional handler, I couldn’t help but admire how the accompanying puppeteers consistently depicted the same emotions as Ralph. Plus, his performance of “If You Were Gay” was arguably one of the best of the night.
And of course, I’ve got to give props to Stephanie Gray for playing a fantastic Gary Coleman. She radiated sass, and every scene with her lightened up the stage; not to mention her hilarious lines.
Photo courtesy of the North Shore Theatre Company Facebook page.
Each of the supporting characters – Lucy the Slut (Miriam Gonzaga), the Bad Idea Bears (Josie Lamb and Hayley Driscoll), and Trekkie Monster (Luka Bozic) – were all fantastic to watch in their own right. Though minor, they stole the spotlight with each appearance and were excellently casted.
Gonzaga exuded the vixen-like personality expected of Lucy in attitude and voice. Lamb and Driscoll as the Bad Idea Bears offered up some dark humour in the most unexpected scenes, delivering some of the show’s funniest moments. And Bozic had the audience in stitches with his memorable solo number, “The Internet is for Porn”.
The stage, however small, was cleverly managed to incorporate all elements of the story. The characters and actors were fun enough to watch that a grand set wasn’t all too necessary; but regardless, there was still some notably creative staging that took place, particularly during a dream sequence during “Fantasies Come True”, and a bar scene in “Special”.
Photo courtesy of the North Shore Theatre Company Facebook page.
I could go on about how well the NSTC managed to pull off one my favourite musicals of all time – though there was one, sadly apparent flaw that needs addressing: the audio.
Unfortunately, low volume and feedback were recurring issues during the program, which proved a darn shame during some of the musical’s best songs.
The musical numbers in Avenue Q are chock-full of fast-paced remarks and witty lyrics, some which were easily lost in occasionally faded audio or microphone feedback.
Still, it hardly detracted from my overall entertainment with this production. With such strong actors and enthusiastic performances, the cast powered through every technical issue nonetheless.
I hadn’t seen an NSTC production until now, but this definitely has me hooked for future events. Massive applause to the theatre’s Avenue Q cast for entertaining audiences with a marvellous show; such talent will definitely see its way to bigger, brighter stages.
If you haven’t listened to Avenue Q or heard about it until now – I highly, highly suggest to keep an eye out for productions at a venue near you. For those in their twenties and up, the musical has much to share on love, ambition, and the messiness of adult life.