LondonTheatre1

London Theatre: Tickets Reviews | News | West End | Off-West End | UK Touring Productions

London Theatre Tickets
  • Home
  • Top Selling Shows
    • Musicals
    • & Juliet
    • Anything Goes
    • Back To The Future
    • Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
    • Come From Away
    • Dear Evan Hansen
    • Dirty Dancing
    • Frozen The Musical
    • Heathers
    • Jersey Boys
    • Les Misérables
    • Mamma Mia
    • Mary Poppins
    • Matilda the Musical
    • My Fair Lady
    • Moulin Rouge
    • Only Fools and Horses
    • Pretty Woman the Musical
    • Six the Musical
    • The Book of Mormon
    • The Drifters Girl
    • The Lion King
    • The Phantom of the Opera
    • Tina the Musical
    • Wicked
    • Popular Plays in London
      • A Christmas Carol
      • Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
      • The Mousetrap
      • The Woman in Black
      • Witness for the Prosecution
    • London Theatres
      • Seating Plans
      • Adelphi Theatre
      • Ambassadors Theatre
      • Duke of York’s Theatre
      • Fortune Theatre
      • Harold Pinter Theatre
      • Lyceum Theatre
      • New Wimbledon Theatre
      • New Wimbledon Theatre Studio
      • Piccadilly Theatre
      • Richmond Theatre
      • Trafalgar Theatre
  • News
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • ATG Tickets
    • Alexandra Theatre
    • Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
    • Brighton Theatre Royal
    • Bristol Hippodrome
      • Bristol Theatre Seating Plan
    • Edinburgh Playhouse
    • Glasgow Theatre Royal
    • Grand Opera House York
    • King’s Theatre Glasgow
    • Kit Kat Club London
    • Leas Cliff Hall
    • Liverpool Empire
    • Manchester Opera House
    • Manchester Palace Theatre
    • Milton Keynes Theatre
    • New Theatre Oxford
    • New Victoria Theatre Woking
    • New Wimbledon Theatre
    • New Wimbledon Theatre Studio
    • Princess Theatre Torquay
    • Regent Theatre Stoke
    • Rhoda McGaw Theatre
    • Richmond Theatre
    • Stockton Globe
    • Sunderland Empire
    • Swansea Arena
    • Victoria Hall Hanley Stoke
  • Dancewear
  • Newsletter
Home » Reviews » Avenue Q at the New Wimbledon Theatre – Review

Avenue Q at the New Wimbledon Theatre – Review

March 16, 2016 Last updated: December 11, 2018 10:29 pm By Hayley Thorpe

Avenue Q PrincetonAvenue Q opened on Broadway in 2003 and since then it has come back time and again. A real coming of age show that highlights the trials and tribulations of growing up.

I was first introduced to Avenue Q by a friend, who was blown away by the show and the messages it was portraying. I initially heard a few of the songs and if I am brutally honest I really wasn’t sure that I would enjoy the show, how wrong I was? Now whenever I hear Avenue Q isn’t far from town I am eager to be reminded of some of those messages. I hated to admit it but she was well and truly right on each and every aspect and I fell in love with this hilarious show, where we shouldn’t really be laughing and agreeing but we totally are. What I really love is how real this show is. A lot of the crude and sometimes vulgar mentions within Avenue Q are true to life and because of that you find yourself laughing along even though you know you shouldn’t.

Princeton is one of the main characters in the show so naturally the show starts with him. Although the audience are predominantly drawn to the puppet, I couldn’t help being mesmerised by Richard Lowe. His facial expressions didn’t take anything away from Princeton or Rod for me. They added to the performance.

Princeton is fresh-faced and eager to see what life has to offer him after finishing his studies and earning his BA in English, although I don’t think he realised how real the real world would be on his quest. Unemployed and looking for his purpose he starts at Avenue A and realises that everything is well and completely out of his price range, until he stumbles upon Avenue Q. Where he meets a crazy bunch of very different people, his neighbours include Trekkie Monster who is not related to Kate Monster, Christmas Eve, Brian, Nicky, Rod and Gary Coleman who is portrayed exceptionally by Etisyai Philip.

Princeton now has a place to call home. Which is when “It Sucks To Be Me” kicks in. For me this song shouldn’t make you feel good but it does, because every single one of us is different and we are each hiding a battle that no one else knows about. This is when all the other characters are introduced and each and every performer was outstanding. I have to mention Sarah Harlington who also has a dual role of Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut. Sarah portrays a loveable and likeable Kate Monster and her naivety and loneliness shine through and all you want is for her to feel happy and loved. Whereas Lucy the Slut is a character most women wouldn’t like. I cannot answer for the men but the confidence Sarah portrays in Lucy is breath-taking as you watch the puppet strut across the stage.

Each and every character brings a whole new layer to the show and in society all of us can relate to each story and source of pain. What works for Avenue Q is that puppets can get away with almost anything “The internet is for porn” and “Schadenfreude” – which means happiness at the misfortune of others in German, both made the audience laugh out loud.

The setting and storyline are pretty simple, a row of red-brick houses giving an old school American feel and an eclectic bunch of people looking for love, purpose and job prospects.

“It sucks to be me” was probably one of the very first Avenue Q songs I heard and now it sure is one of my favourites. What this shows is how each and every one of us has something that shapes our lives and our thoughts and sometimes we need to look at the bigger picture. Rather than striving for better we should take stock of what we have in our lives in the here and now.

The show ends with a lovely uplifting song in “For Now” which is hilarious as they reference many things that are temporary in life and there is always a political aspect to it. When it started I think it was George Bush and now it is “Only For Now Donald Trump” which had the New Wimbledon Theatre in hysterics with claps, whoops and laughter of the loudest kind. This song highlights that some things that make us feel uncomfortable in our everyday lives are only for now, except death and paying taxes.

If you haven’t seen this show then it really does suck to be you, this show is enlightening and humorous and will leave you wanting more. Mark my words once you have seen it you will want to see it again and again. Some of the songs are not very PC but they are catchy and light-hearted and whenever you are feeling down they can pull you right backup.

5 Star Rating

Review by Hayley Thorpe

Winner of the Tony Awards Triple Crown for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book, Avenue Q is part flesh, part felt and packed with heart.

Following five years in the West End and sell-out runs worldwide (packed with mischief, bad behaviour and political incorrectness) this hugely entertaining show is hitting the road on a brand new tour!

Created by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez (co-creator of Book of Mormon and writer of the songs for Disney’s Frozen) Avenue Q is an irresistibly charming musical which tells the story of the loveable characters on a downtown New York street trying to make sense of life’s burning issues.

Hilarious, cheeky and uproariously entertaining, with a terrific batch of songs performed by a cast of hugely talented performers and puppets, Avenue Q is the musical like no other.
So don’t let your life suck – book your tickets today!

Suitable for audiences 14+

BOOK TICKETS
Monday 14th to Saturday 19th March 2016
New Wimbledon Theatre
https://www.londontheatre1.com/theatres/new-wimbledon-theatre/

Monday 21st to Saturday 26th March 2016
Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent
www.londontheatre1.com/theatres/regent-theatre-stoke/

Tuesday 3rd to Saturday 7th May 2016
Palace Theatre, Manchester
www.londontheatre1.com/theatres/palace-theatre-manchester/

Monday 16th to Saturday 21st May 2016
Milton Keynes Theatre
https://www.londontheatre1.com/theatres/milton-keynes-theatre/

Tagged With: New Wimbledon Theatre

Dirty Dancing Tickets

FOX-LIGHT by Barnaby Tobias at The Hope Theatre

The descriptions of what happens in this show are so vivid that paradoxically they leave nothing to the imagination – and, at least at the performance … [Read More...]

Little Women at The Roman Theatre of Verulamium St Albans

As theatre productions go this is a memorable, magical experience filled with heart and love and so many tiny thoughtful details, that I’m not sure a … [Read More...]

All of Us by Francesca Martinez | Dorfman Theatre | Review

I’m not sure the theatregoing public really needs a play almost three hours long to tell them that there are some major deficiencies in adult social … [Read More...]

Dog/Actor Threedumb Theatre at the Etcetera Theatre

There are no props at all in Dog, and yet despite a dog, Roy, being very much a key character, the staging and dialogue are more effective than they … [Read More...]

Jarman at the King’s Head Theatre

Be astonishing. That’s Derek Jarman’s exhortation to the world at large and - at the end of the show - to this particular audience. And in this … [Read More...]

London Theatre 1 and London Theatre One are Registered Trademarks Copyright 2022 www.LondonTheatre1.com
By using our website you’re confirming that you’re happy to accept our use of cookies.
Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising - About Us - Newsletter - Contact Us

As an Amazon Associate our website receives a commission from qualifying purchases from Amazon.