Socks Whitmore – Stage Raw
It’s funny, it’s furry, it’s an infamous fan favorite—The Wayward Artist presents the “Triple Crown” Tony winner for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book, Avenue Q (music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and book by Jeff Whitty), in the cozy little theater of Santa Ana’s Grand Central Art Center. When fresh-faced young Princeton moves into a shabby New York apartment on Avenue Q, he encounters and soon befriends an eclectic cast of humans and muppets. As romance blooms between Princeton and his neighbor Kate Monster, he finds himself questioning his purpose in life. The hijinks unfold in the style of PBS’s Sesame Street, albeit riddled with questionable choices and sexual innuendos. Read more…
Patrick Chavis – The Orange Curtain Review
Avenue Q is a Tony Award-winning show, which is quite an accomplishment. Avenue Q is also a show with a reputation that precedes itself. It’s a show that not only has some adult themes and comedy, but it revels in it. The offensive jokes are one of its main attractions, but it never feels mean-spirited or nasty. Maybe it’s because of the puppets, or perhaps it’s the writing. Whatever it is, Avenue Q is a show in a long tradition of art that can do something very difficult. It takes topics that are difficult to talk about –poverty, race, issues with modern education — and gets laughs. Maybe it also gets us thinking about things that are hard to think about. Wayward Artist’s production smartly utilizes the intimate nature of its space. It brings the puppets up close and personal while keeping the comedy flowing and the raunchy spirit of the material intact. Read more…