Avenue Qute
Avenue Q has come to San Diego and I caught last night's evening performance. My first time at the gracefully aging Spreckels theater in downtown. A smaller venue, very much in the mode of most Broadway theaters, decent acoustics (but then a post-tornado barn would have better acoustics than the cursed SD Civic theater).
This was kinda, sorta my second time seeing this show, the first being the diet (and mostly unsuccessful) Vegas version. While the basic plot lines are, as expected, identical, the added songs and narrative provide needed dimension to the show and make it a lot more fun. Several cast members were holdovers from the Vegas show and all did a credible job. The oddity with Q is that you so deeply identify with the muppet, er, can't use that word, puppet characters that you expect them to take a bow.
It's difficult to describe the plot lines of the show in a few words. Let's just say it's Sesame Street for adults. Perverted, twisted adults.
I wondered if San Diego's conservative, largely late middle aged audience would take to a show featuring plenty of profanity and on-stagemuppetpuppet sex. Not to worry, they howled at the funny parts and gave the cast a standing ovation at the end.
Did Avenue Q deserve to crush Wicked in the Tony awards? In terms of innovative use of the stage, special effects, and so on, Q was spectacular. But Wicked (which I'll see for the third time on Sunday in LA) has a deeper story and more meaningful and memorable songs. And it seems to be one of the darlings of Broadway and national tours. Tough call.