Avenue Q a satire of human flaws

• Author: Ilona Hanne
• Published date: 05 May 2021
• Publication title: Stratford Press

Puppets remained in my life once I became a parent, with Elmo and his Sesame Street gang keeping my children (okay, and myself) entertained for hours on end, teaching us far more than just how to count or sound out letters.

So not only am I comfy with the idea of puppets on stage, I am also quite au fait with the idea of puppets falling in love, feeling jealous, and experiencing a whole range of human emotions.

Sesame Street this show is not however, and no amount of puppet-packed past was ever going to be enough preparation for 4th Wall Theatre’s production of Avenue Q The Musical.

This furry musical comedy from the talented trio of Jeff Whitty, Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez is almost 20 years old yet is as relevant today as it was when it first opened.

The show’s storyline is based around Princeton, a recent college graduate, trying to find his purpose in life and uses puppetry and a delivery style familiar to anyone who grew up on a diet of Sesame Street.

Just like Elmo and his friends, Princeton and his new friends, who he meets when he moves into an apartment on Avenue Q, are busy trying to make sense of the world around them and addressing the issues they face.

These issues are a whole lot more grown up than the ones Elmo, Kermit or any other puppets you...