Avenue Q
★★★★☆ Outrageous
Saint Stephen’s Theatre (Venue 166): Fri 2 – Sat 25 Aug 2024
Review by Sophie Good
Avenue Q, the Sesame Street parody for adults, filled with X-rated musical numbers, enjoys a skilful production from Sound Events Scotland at St Stephen’s Theatre, with a talented cast and some fun comedy moments.
For those who haven’t seen this particular musical -which is actually now over 20 years old – it follows a group of adults, some represented as humans and some as hand puppets, who face real world problems in their fictional street ‘Avenue Q’ in the outskirts of New York.
Seumas Cross with Nicky in Avenue Q. Pic: Sound Events Scotland.
The show opens with recent graduate Princeton, performed convincingly by puppeteer Fionn Cameron, lamenting “What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?” which sets the tone for humorous and relatable issues for young people facing their grown up lives. Princeton goes on to seek his purpose in the show and also develops a relationship with his neighbour Kate.
Kate Monster is played by puppeteer Shannon Daly who seems to have a real empathy for this role, which she has played in previous productions; her voice is pitch perfect and her confidence is a real strength throughout the show.
We meet many of Kate and Princeton’s other neighbours who all have their own issues which are not easily solved – as a deliberate contrast to the simple solutions seen in Sesame Street and similar children’s shows.
old school
Themes include coming out, racism and pornography and the way these are approached has dated in the two decades since its premiere. Songs such as Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist and The Internet Is for Porn deliver a few off notes to modern ears. The age guidance is 16+ which feels about right; but the younger end of the audience will definitely find the way that adult themes are approached old school compared to 2024.
That said, it’s still really fun and enjoyable and should be taken in the context of when it was written. If you’ve never seen two furry puppets embark on some very enthusiastic bedroom antics then you’re in for a treat.
Liam McGrath with Rod in Avenue Q. Pic: Sound Events Scotland.
The performances are all really strong across the cast – there are some terrific voices including puppeteer Lisa Bowie playing Lucy the Slut (again another dated reference), and Rod and Nicky (puppeteers Liam McGrath and Seumas Cross) have a touching chemistry. Louisa Chang does a great turn as Christmas Eve, one of the two human characters.
The production is good – Sam Fraser has directed the whole thing tightly and smoothly, and the musical direction from Reece McInroy is professional and well performed. At 2hrs 15 mins, it’s long for the fringe, but it gives good bang for its buck – especially for those who enjoy musicals and want to see a more fully realised show.
How much more of a shelf life Avenue Q‘s current script may have remains to be seen before it needs more of a 2024 slant on these real world issues.
Running time: Two hours and 15 minutes (Including one interval)
Saint Stephen’s Theatre (Ian McKellen Theatre), 105 St Stephen Street, EH3 5AB (Venue 166)
Friday 2 – Sunday 25 August 2024
Daily: 9.25 pm
Details and tickets at: Book here
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Lisa Bowie with Lucy the Slut in Avenue Q. Pic: Sound Events Scotland.
ENDS
