Avenue Q

JS: Is it any good?

Me: Yes! VERY!

JS: But it's about muppets, right? So childish!

Me: But it's NC-16 for a reason. It's starring muppets; It's NOT about muppets.

I think people who are afraid to watch Avenue Q fall into two categories: either they are afraid they would not be able to relate to the jokes and find them unfunny, which would of course be a complete waste of their time and money (seeing that tickets can be rather expensive) or they think that any show starring puppets cannot be seriously entertaining or worthwhile watching. However, Avenue Q is no Sesame Street and indeed, its NC-16 rating is not a mistake made by Singapore's censors. Sexual innuendos abound and there's even a couple of vulgarities but the elements of Avenue Q that remind us, not by accident, of Sesame Street only heightens the amusement factor of the show rather than diminish it.

Most of the songs sport some very witty, zany and even profane lyrics but they're so darn catchy that there is no doubt you will leave the theater with at least one or two tunes stuck in your head. However, I strongly advise against youtubing the tunes or watching clips of the show off the net until you've actually seen the whole show in its entirety because doing so would only take away some of the surprises from the comedy numbers. As you know, hilarious one-liners do not hold the same power when you hear them more than once.

There are a few times when the script requires the audience to have some knowledge of American culture, but even if you're pretty ignorant, I'm sure you would still be able to enjoy the performance of the talented Filipino actors and actresses who make up the cast. Of course, one must be realistic and NOT expect the original cast from the 2004 Broadway production (and if you ever do expect such a thing, for any theatrical show in Singapore, you're extremely foolish!) but I must say, the cast they've cobbled together for the Singapore shows are more than adequate in terms of acting chops and singing prowess to carry off their roles effectively. In my honest opinion, the actress handling Kate Monster especially, was very engaging.

According to the show's official website, there's only less than a week left before the show closes. There's a reason why Avenue Q won the prestigious Tony Award (which is the theater industry's equivalent to the Oscars) for Best Musical in 2004 -- it is really pretty good! Go catch it if you haven't but only if you have some spare change (because of inflation and all that). =D