New Theatre, Cardiff welcomed us to Avenue Q this evening and what a show it was! Every now and then a show comes along that is so much fun, filled with high energy performances, catchy musical numbers, and lovable characters that it’ll hold a place in your memory forever – Avenue Q was all this and more.
The show is a combination of Broadway Musical meets The Muppets with key elements that secure its place in your heart. At the heart of Avenue Q is realism and a delightfully entertaining cast who guide us through the events of the lives of the residents of the street. The show is extremely funny throughout with some heartfelt and emotional moments too. The one thing Avenue Q isn’t is politically correct (thankfully!), it is however very relevant and relatable, whether it’s the number ‘I wish I could go back to college’ or ‘There’s a fine, fine line’ there is a situation everyone can relate to.
The show centre’s around the story of Princeton an English Graduate trying to find his purpose in life, as well as the love story between Kate Monster and Princeton. There are sub-plots involving the other residents, giving us a snapshot into their lives. A perfect balance is maintained throughout with the plots perfectly melting into each other which meant they never overwhelmed the audience.
With sexual references and bad language along with the regular mention of ‘Porn’ the show also manages to tackle important issues such as racism and homosexuality in a light-hearted realistic manner.
With great writing and a very talented cast with a brilliant musical score, there’s not a single element missing from this show making it a pure delight. The cast performances were all great, but extra credit was earned for the following: Saori Oda who played Christmas Eve delivered a powerful performance of the musical Number ‘The more you ruv someone’ and Cecily Redman who played Kate Monster delivered an emotionally moving performance of A fine, fine line. Lawrence Smith who played Princeton gave an overall performance which was emotional and brilliant.
Avenue Q is at the New Theatre, Cardiff 17-22 June 2019.
