"Avenue Q"

My pal Dave Lavender provides this excellent story about the musical comedy Avenue Q:

On the front door of Jeslyn Performing Arts Center hangs a giant, glittery orange "Q" -- an obvious clue that changes are afoot along this downtown avenue.

For the next two weekends, let's just call this stretch of Fourth Avenue -- "Avenue Q."

Inside the former Camelot Theater, Curtains Up Players are presenting the laugh-out-loud musical comedy, "Avenue Q," that's been described as "Sesame Street" for adults with darling puppets singing straight-talking, politically incorrect songs such as "It Sucks to Be Me," "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" and "The Internet's for Porn."

Directed by Danny Ray and packed with 25 quirky and catchy songs played by CUP's seven piece band, "Avenue Q," takes to the theatrical streets at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 24-25 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26. Also, 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 30-31 and Sept. 1 as well as 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 2.

Tickets are $15 and $12 for students. All seats reserved. Call 304-942-8576 or Facebook message Shayne Gue or Alayna Paige Berry to reserve tickets.

Because of some adult situations, like full-puppet nudity and splashes of Simpsons-like humor, "Avenue Q" may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Called "The most fun on-stage this year," by the New Yorker when "Avenue Q" opened on Broadway in 2003, "Avenue Q," which beat out the popular musical, "Wicked," to win "Best Musical," "Best Score" and "Best Book" that year, uses actors on stage with the puppets to tell a heart-warming story with a mockumentary edge -- poking gentle fun at the preachiness of kids TV shows. There is even a TV monitor beside the stage flashing mock-educational vignettes.

Like a "Sesame Street" set, "Avenue Q," has three, two-story walk-up apartments where Princeton, a poor college graduate with big dreams living in New York City is a new resident who runs into a menagerie of neighborhood characters who help him discover his purpose in life.

Like many Tri-Staters, Gue was blown away when Marshall Artists Series reeled in the Broadway musical tour in 2009 at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center.

When CUP formed a couple years ago to produce such contemporary fare as "Bat Boy The Musical," "Putnam County Spelling Bee," and "How I Learned to Drive," producer Paul Neace said Gue's dream was always to put on "Avenue Q."

"I am going to give all the credit to Shayne," Neace said. "When it came through town, it made such an impression on everybody that when we started our group in 2010 it was one of the things he defined as wanting to bring -- when and if -- it would ever be available. The second he found out it was, he was like a locomotive and couldn't be stopped in getting this show to town."

Gue, who deftly plays Princeton and Rod in the musical, is not alone in his passion for the play as most folks involved either saw it on Broadway or the Broadway tour of the musical that's promoted as being "part flesh, part felt and packed with heart.

West Virginia University student Kristen Pennington, of Charleston, loves it so much she and her mom have been driving her back and forth from Morgantown this past week to be in the show.

Pennington, who was in the CUP production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" last year, said "Avenue Q," hits home in a powerful way.

"It's very modern, and the importance of that is that it targets to everyone but deals with the plight of young professionals and young people in general who are trying to find out what their purpose in life is and how their reality is not the same as those idealistic views from college and how important it is to not get jaded from it and how to always fight for the dream that you have," said Pennington, who plays two different puppets, Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut, both of whom are going after Princeton.

The musical has some rollicking absurd moments like when the landlord character, Gary Coleman (the tiny, little troubled childhood actor) sings the R&B belter ("You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want When You're Makin' Love") after the two puppets, Princeton and Kate hook up.

Holly Maynard, who saw the show on Broadway, plays the Gary Coleman character for CUP. She's one of several women who have played the part.

"They needed somebody to step in and I jumped at it," Maynard said. "I think what is so good about this show is that it just hits you in the face with it. And it's funny because there are all of these issues that people tiptoe around and don't want to talk about and all of a sudden you hear these puppets talk about it, tough issues like racism or about being gay, and it's hilarious and all you can really do is laugh."

Pennington said it's impossible to pass up the chance to do these kind of roles.

"First off it is just hysterical but it has a great message and that is all about friends and about love and not just your average romantic love but the camaraderie that comes from being young and trying to realize what life is all about," she said. "It's slightly daunting at times but with the right people in your life it doesn't matter so much where you are but more about what you are doing and who you are with."

While Ray, who also saw the show on Broadway, helped erect the stellar two-story set, whose backdrop and sides are enhanced by the theater's high walls of exposed brick, CUP also got an expert's hand in building the puppets.

Nationally-known toy designer and former professional touring actor, Rhett Pennell, who was in a couple CUP productions before moving away earlier this summer, built all of the puppets.

"If I would have been asked what the hardest thing to do in this show would be, it would be the puppets but we had such an amazing toy maker Rhett Pennell make the puppets for us that it made the entire process 1,000 percent easier," Neace said. "That was a huge weight off of our minds, and the whole show has been like that. Normally you have to beg people to come out and work but that hasn't been the case. There have been more people willing to working so hard on this show because of their regard for it."

With Ryan Jackson and Stephanie Sands dancing around and squeaking out the mischievous voices of the Bad Idea Bears (Care Bears who sporadically stir up trouble), veteran props supervisor, Helga Thorn, said after seeing the Broadway tour a few years ago, she has been amazed what is now being recreated again locally with the unique play in which puppeteers are on stage with puppets in hand.

"I was like how are they going to project their voices to the puppets and Danny said 'well, you don't have to because after a while you forget they are there and just see the puppets,'" Thorn said, "and that's true, and that is amazing."

Head On Over to Avenue Q:
Here's a closer look at musical production of "Avenue Q"

WHAT: Curtains Up Players presents the adult-humor, puppet-driven musical, "Avenue Q." Note that the show is for teens and adults as it addresses issues such as sex, drinking and surfing the web for mature content.

WHERE: Jeslyn Performing Arts Center, 1030 4th Ave., (formerly The Camelot Theater)

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 24-25 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26. Also, 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 30-31 and Sept. 1 as well as 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 2.

THE STORY: "Avenue Q" is a laugh-out-loud musical that tells the timeless story of a recent college grad named Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. There, he meets Kate (the girl next door), Rod (the Republican), Trekkie (the Internet sexpert), and other colorful types who help him finally discover his purpose in life.

GET TIX: Tickets are $15 and $12 for students. All seats reserved. Call 304-942-8576 or Facebook message Shayne Gue or Alayna Paige Berry to reserve tickets.

DID YOU KNOW? When it debuted on Broadway, "Avenue Q," promoted as "part flesh, part felt and packed with heart," won the Tony triple crown winning, "Best Musical," "Best Score" and "Best Book."

CAST: Shayne Gue, Kristen Pennington, Michael Edward Rose, Holly Maynard, Greg Kiser, April Frye, Ryan Jackson, Stephanie Kay Sands and Chris Sunderland.

BEHIND THE SCENES: Directed by Danny Ray, musical direction by Kaitlin DeSpain, produced by Paul Neace and choreographed by Chris Sunderland

ON THE WEB: http://www.curtainsupplayers.org/