Does your life suck?  Are you still looking for your purpose in life?  Well, welcome to Avenue Q, a musical where monsters, puppets, talking bears, and humans live and frolic in a non-sugarcoated reality.  While we are always pining to escape from the harsh realities of the real world, our puppet friends on Avenue Q teach us to face the fact that, in short, life sucks.  Nevertheless, this satirical Tony Award winning Off-Broadway production also reminds us that even when faced with obstacles and the painful truth, we can still have a hilarious and entertaining time. 

A parody of Sesame Street, Avenue Q revolves around a puppet named Princeton (Darren Bluestone).  Fresh out of college with a “useless degree” (aka a BA in English), unemployed, and drowning in debt, he finds himself in the dilapidated, rundown neighborhood of Avenue Q.  There, he meets a colorful cast of characters, including teaching assistant Kate Monster (Veronica Kuehn), closeted gay Republican Rod (also played by Bluestone), and his high-strung roommate Nicky (Jason Jacoby).  He also receives guidance from human friends: unemployed Brian (Nicholas Kohn) and his Japanese-American fiancée (Hazel Anne Raymundo), and a grown-up Gary Coleman (Danielle Thomas).  Together, the gang navigates through life, learning about a variety of relatable issues including racism, sexuality, purpose, and love.

Despite the wide array of characters, Avenue Q has a surprisingly small cast.  The actors are certainly talented and versatile to say the least.  Besides the usual singing and dancing, these actors have to bring the puppets to life as well.  Many even take on a variety of roles.  Additionally, each puppet has its own unique personality and voice (mostly modeled after Sesame Street characters like Bert, Ernie, and Cookie Monster).  Each actor was incredible, switching roles and puppets quickly.  Every emotion is emphasized thoroughly on the puppet, from the slightest furrow of a brow to the subtle curl of a lip.  Cast members were extremely animated and often matched their puppet’s emotions perfectly.

The show has a soaring score filled with catchy tunes and very clever lyrics.  The songs all have their own message, whether it is asserting that “Everyone is a Little bit Racist” or teaching us the definition of “Schadenfreude.”  The audience erupted with laughter throughout the entire show, mostly because the lyrics are true to life.  Despite knowing that racism is wrong, we all admit that we stereotype unintentionally or laugh at ethnic jokes.

Avenue Q is the perfect show for teenagers, who may view life as always being a stressful, uphill battle.  It is funny and heartwarming without being unrealistic.  I, personally, found the show’s message extremely relatable.  Life is filled with unexpected surprises, some good and some bad.  We should take life a lot lighter and not get caught up with every, single imperfection.  If we realize that “everything in life is only for now,” we can deal with what the future may hold and learn to make the best out of it.