Avenue Q on Broadway

[inturnaround]

Saw AQ!

I saw "Avenue Q" during Wednesday's matinee. I went by myself because all my friends are gainfully employed (working stiffs!), so I went a bit early to shoot for rush lottery tickets.

"Avenue Q" has the whole front row (12 seats) reserved for the winners of the lottery which is held 2 hours before the show. These tickets are sold at a steep discount for $21.25 each. There were about 40 people who put their name in the bucket for this show so it was no surprise to me that I lost. What I should have done is befriend some other single person in line and have them request 2 tickets (the limit)and I would have done the same thus doubling our chances. But I didn't.

So, I bought one of the rear mezzanine tickets for $46.25. The first 5 rows of rear mezz are the same price as the orchestra seats: $96.25. No one at the matinee was insane enough to have paid full price for these seats so we were told before the start of the show that we could move up during intermission. Party! Bonus.

The show was fantastic. I loved the music. I loved the performances by both the human and human-assisted characters.

A few observations:

-I want my CD now! How can I wait until October for it!
-I have a crush on Stephanie D'Abruzzo after seeing (and hearing) her. Can't help it. There's just something about a woman and her puppet...
-Kate Monster reminded me character-wise of a grown up Prarie Dawn.
-Jen Barnhart has my total respect. It must not be easy to be the right hand man, but watching her do it so flawlessly with Rick when he's doing Trekkie or Nicky, I was amazed. I also know that many people wouldn't really appreciated what she did. Great job! (Love the short hair!)
-John Tartaglia...what a voice! I want to hear "What Do You Do With a BA in English?" again and again.
-The staging...it must be difficult to say the least to know where you are supposed to be at any given moment when you play two main characters...it was done flawlessly by the puppeteers. Kudos.

I was disappointed by the merchandise available. Where's the dolls of the puppets? I would have bought a full set (Lucy T. certainly did! *rimshot*). I am happy, though, that there's an CD coming very soon.

I was also disappointed that I didn't stay after outside the stage door for autographs. I was hot and I wanted to get home, so I didn't really feel like staying in the midafternoon heat, so I made my way home to Bucks County. Maybe I'll send a nice letter to the theater...or, better yet, I'll try to see it again after I see "Little Shop..."

So, if you can't tell, I loved the show and would see it again in a heartbeat. The theater, save for the 5 first rows of rear mezz, was full and the audience was digging it all the way. I have a feeling that AQ will be around for a while. But don't drag your feet Go see it now. If you're a Henson fan, you'll love this. If you're not a Henson fan, then why are you here?

If MuppetCentral can get 10 people together as a group, you can get a big discount...just an idea for a great meetup.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Hey I heard from CNN's web site they are selling same-day tickets today for all the Broadway shows at a huge discount because of the black out (I guess that part of Manhatten has power). People are already lining up. Does anyone in NYC know if they are doing this for Avenue Q too?

 

[inturnaround]

Yes, they do. It's a 25% discount, but keep in mind that you can't get same-day matinee tickets from the booth downtown, they must be purchased the day before.

Also, it's not everyday they do it. For example, you're less likely to get them on a weekend because the theater will be close to selling out.

Hope this helps!

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Oh, thanks for the info - I didn't know they did that on a regular basis. I was actually referring to a one-day-only thing that was going on with all the Broadway shows friday because of the blackout. From what I saw the ticket sales were going on downtown.

 

[AruggeRadio]

This looks pretty much in the spirit of the old SNL Bits done by the Hensons. Looks interesting at least unlike with That Bunny show or Crank Yankers (Yankers has gotten allot better though in its second season) They are not just saying things cause it would be shocking to hear puppets say this type of stuff. Should be an interesting show.

 

[dlphntat]

hmmm.

interesting. Not sure how I feel about the visible puppeteers, but from what I saw, I laughed. a lot!
From 'Meet the Feebles' to 'Greg the Bunny', there have been some highly entertaining puppet shows.
If Avenue Q makes it to Texas, you better believe I will be there!

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Just found out they've recorded the cast album for Avenue Q, it will be out in October. There's a few details a photo from the recording secession on Rick Lyon's Web site here.

 

[Muppetsdownunder]

If avenue q came to Australia or I came to New York I would love to see it. We are deprived of things like that in Australia, you Americans are very lucky!

 

[Buck-Beaver]

There are lots of puppeteers in Australia! For just a few examples, check out the Australian section of this list.

 

[Muppetsdownunder]

There are lots of puppeteers in Australia! For just a few examples, check out the Australian section of this list.

I know that but they are hard to find and puppets arent sold in many places. Puppet companies arent easy to find, well I have had trouble anyway.

Thanks for that link, They might be some good people to contact regarding a puppet job or something, they might be able to help.