The Rowdy Residents Of ‘Avenue Q’ Are Back In Brisbane

Are you seeking a soulmate, looking for a job, happily unemployed, a little bit screwed up or just love having a good time? In other words, are you a fully qualified human?

You’ll want to make friends with the lovable, foul-mouthed puppet residents of Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q, who are back in town at the Brisbane Arts Theatre.

The hilarious stage show follows the lives of the residents of Avenue Q, a rundown neighbourhood in New York where felt meets flesh and puppets and humans live together. Fresh out of college, Princeton moves into a shabby Avenue Q apartment but his neighbours – including girl-next-door Kate, internet sexpert Trekkie, and best friends Nicki and Rod – all help him find his purpose in life.

Avenue Q is often described as Sesame Street after a few years of hard-living in the real world. Though it’s not suitable for children, producers say not only will adults love it, older teenagers will too because of the fusion of childhood nostalgia and real life issues.

Brisbane Arts Theatre’s Julie Engelfield said Avenue Q’s foul-mouthed puppet characters deal with issues like their hard drinking, their long-term unemployment, and their addiction to Internet porn, to name a few.

“It’s things that you can’t normally talk about. In a regular theatre show they’re controversial but in Avenue Q people just love it, and they lap it up. Many of the the songs of Avenue Q are totally politically incorrect,” she said.

“Why is it okay to talk abbout those things in a musical but not necessarily in normal life?

“These characters all have flaws that normal people have, and some of the subjects are taboo except when you put it in the context of a musical or a comedy.

“The puppets essentially break down the barriers. Avenue Q is two levels, it’s a great bit of fun, it’s fabulous music and very witty, but on the deeper level it does actually make you think about, question and discuss those subjects that you wouldn’t normally.”

Avenue Q will be showing until June 2 at the Brisbane Arts Theatre at 210 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane. For tickets visit the theatre’s website.