REVIEW: Avenue Q

Elgin Theatre, Toronto, ON. Aug. 13/08
**.5 of ****

The thing I like about small theatres (ie, nearly every theatre I’ve been in thus far) is that there are no really bad seats. Despite being at the very back of the mezzanine, the action onstage felt immediate, and I felt connected to it. The Elgin, also, is a very beautiful theatre, the bottom half of the last remaining double-decker theatre in the world (the Winter Garden is above it).
Alright, expositional moment over. Onto the review! For those of you who don’t know, Avenue Q is, in its essence, a satirical (and very adult) take on Sesame Street, and the majority of the characters are puppets. It deals primarily with the story of Princeton, a fresh-faced college graduate attempting to find his purpose and make his way in the world.
Now, prior to this, I had neither seen the musical nor read the libretto. My only exposure to the musical itself was the original cast album, which I enjoyed, with a couple of exceptions I will get to in a moment. So I was expecting very little, except that the show be funny, which it lived up to admirably. The book is witty, and most of the songs serve their situations well (though some seem a little out of place, the poster child for this being the rather unfortunate “I’m Not Wearing Underwear Today”). Some of the songs, taken out of context, are unspectacular (I’m not a big fan of “Purpose” or “You Can Be As Loud As The Hell You Want”), but many are excellent, running the gamut from the amusing and insightful “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist” to the touching “There’s A Fine, Fine Line”. So, the musical itself is, I think, quite enjoyable.

But what of the performances? I thought they were, by and large, quite good. Brian’s understudy, Cullen R. Titmas, was on at the performance I saw, and was perhaps a little awkward, but still completely adequate in the role. Robert McClure was also good as Princeton and Rod, but seemed to have trouble distinguishing between the voices and mannerisms of the two characters, which would have been nice to see. Most of the others were perfectly enjoyable (one exception. I tell you in a moment, ja?), but two performers stood out above the rest. Anika Larsen was excellent as both Kate & Lucy, differentiating between the two characters in every way, while still making them both appropriately human and believable, and forging a path different from that of Stephanie D’Abruzzo from the OBC. And Angela Ai was knock-out hilarious as Christmas Eve, again differentiating herself from the original Broadway’s Ann Harada. Her “The More You Ruv Someone” was excellent, as she sang the first verse very small and then abruptly switched into full soul-ballad style. David Benoit, as Nicky, Trekkie Monster, and a Bad Idea Bear, was a bit of a disappointment. He was good as Trekkie and the Bear, but his Nicky fell a little flat for me. It seemed like he was trying too hard, and the vocal mannerisms didn’t seem natural. A final shout-out for acting to Maggie Lakis, who played Mrs. Thistletwat and a Bad Idea Bear. She doubled as the puppeteer for Kate, Lucy, and Princeton, and did a fine job.
As far as production, most of the show was completely adequate, with solid sets, lighting, and costumes. The wedding sequence near the end of Act I was hilarious, unexpected, and well-done. The one major letdown in terms of production values was the sound. On several occasions during the course of the show, the orchestra completely drowned out the singers, and, had I not been familiar with the cast album, I doubt I could have discerned the lyrics. Fortunately, these moments rarely lasted more than a second or two, and otherwise the sound design was fine.
Final thoughts: I enjoyed myself, and would certainly go see the show again, due to the strength of the book & score. The tour had a few kinks, and a few players didn’t seem too comfortable with some of the characters they were playing, but overall a more than adequate show. **.5 of ****

There you go! My first review. Good? Adequate? A blinding assault on human decency and the art of criticism? Guidance and comments very much appreciated.