REVIEW: AVENUE Q at Sheffield Lyceum until Saturday

“A VERY good bit of escapism.”

That was how my friend described AVENUE Q after the show and I would definitely concur.

I had never seen it before Monday night, although by strange coincidence I recently saw  The Book of Mormon, which has a link in that Robert Lopez, who is one of the writers, also wrote the music and lyrics for AVENUE Q, along with Jeff Marx.

All I knew about AVENUE Q, which first hit the stage 17 years ago, was that although puppets were central to the show, it was not aimed at children and was quite rude.

The Muppet-style characters created by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez are portrayed with the puppeteers clearly visible, which was quite revolutionary.

A few of the characters appear on their own, but most members of the cast perform with puppets — and make a very fine fist of not only acting and singing but also operating their inanimate companions, which is no mean feat.

The live musical accompaniment gets things off to a cheery start and the New York skyline set and the lighting are impressive.

All the cast put on good American accents and the singing is mighty fine.

And credit must be given to Chloe Gentles, who stepped into the roles of Mrs T/Bad Idea Bear and 2nd Arm on the night I went.

The story revolves around Princeton, played by Lawrence Smith, who comes to New York to make his way in the world — cue the song What Do You Do With A BA In English?

There he meets a host of other characters, including Kate Monster, played by Cecily Redman, and Gary Coleman, with Nicholas McLean very amusing in the role.

The song Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist was well performed and funny — and drives home one of the serious themes underlying the comedy, as does If You Were Gay.

Cecily Redman, who has a lovely voice, also plays Lucy the Slut, with the puppet reminiscent of a certain Miss Piggy — indeed, several cast members play more than one character.

The first act finishes after the wedding of Christmas Eve and Brian, played by Saori Oda and Oliver Stanley, with a belting song, There’s A Fine, Fine Line.

The rather wistful three-way song I Wish I Could Go Back To College with Princeton, Kate Monster and Nicky — played by Tom Steedon — is very well performed and I even had the chance immediately afterwards when cast members came down off stage to put some (imaginary) money in Princeton’s hat!

All in all, AVENUE Q is a very jolly way to spend a couple of hours — but is not recommended for the easily shocked.

To book online click here.