It does not suck to be a fan of "Avenue Q."
The lauded and wickedly cheeky Broadway musical runs today to Sunday at Wharton Center and features a diverse melody of puppets, actors and monsters living in the boroughs of New York City.
Features reporters Maggie Lillis and Thea Neal hit the streets with the gang of perverted puppets on opening night. The duo share opinions on raunchy puppet sex, the perils of main character puppets and the on-point relevance of the show's catchy tunes.
Thea Neal: I'm pretty sure I've found my new favorite musical. Leave it up to me to bump "Wicked" out of the top spot and replace it with a show that has puppets, porn and one-night stands.
Maggie Lillis: This show has been my favorite musical for some time. I've had the songs on my iPod for years and the lyrics knocking around in my head like a bell in a cat toy. The marriage of sights and sounds was brilliant.
TN: At first I was worried the blend of live actors and puppets would be a bit distracting. But after about five minutes, you barely notice the actors are there, and focus on just the puppets. Even changing puppets, or voicing separate characters isn't noticeable - actually rather fascinating.
ML:L I agree. I noticed the actors more when I was watching how they moved and acted in unison with the puppets, set and cast. It's like an intricate dance. But on the same token, their faces and body language were as expressive as the felt and pins chilling on their left hands.
TN: The sad part about many great musicals is they tend to be a rather "politically correct." But "Avenue Q" is the opposite. You hear puppets swear. You see puppets talk about their sexual orientation. You even see the puppets having sex - which, might I add, is so graphic you might feel a little bit awkward if you're sitting next to your mom.
ML: For all of the surprises this musical serves up, one of the biggest was how you feel such empathy for the characters.
I wish I could go back to "Avenue Q" every day. It's a place where monsters, slackers, the unemployed, the sort-of racist and Gary Coleman can all live in harmony.