Avenue Q Review: Provocative Puppets Return for a Feast of Filth and Fun
No strings attached, but plenty of puppet nudity, sex, and taboo-busting songs define the revival of Avenue Q at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London. Twenty years since its West End debut, this sweetly subversive musical returns with a few tweaks and a lot of heart, offering a blend of nostalgia and updated humor.
Trigger Warnings and Timeless Themes
The trigger warning "puppet nudity" barely scratches the surface. Audiences witness puppets engaging in explicit acts, singing about racism, and openly discussing porn. While Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx's Tony award-winning musical may not shock as it once did, its themes remain current, touching on homophobia, Black Lives Matter, and more. Directed by Jason Moore on Anna Louizos's flat, house-lined set, the show kicks off with Princeton, a bushy-tailed college graduate, arriving on the titular New York street and embarking on a romance with Kate Monster, a Shrek-like outsider.
Characters and Comic Dissonance
The cast includes a mix of puppets and humans, such as plain-speaking Japanese therapist Christmas Eve, former child star Gary, and flatmates Rod and Nicky, reminiscent of Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie. The force of the show's faux-naivety works through the comic dissonance between the puppets' innocent appearances—wide eyes and cutesy voices—and their adult misbehavior, including drunkenness, pole dancing, and betrayal. Songs like If You Were Gay, Everyone's a Little Bit Racist, and The Internet Is for Porn bust taboos with gusto.
Updated Humor and Puppet Design
Jeff Whitty's award-winning book has been updated with jokey mentions of AI, OnlyFans, and Spotify, while songs like Mix Tape reference "olden days" phenomena. Puppet designer Rick Lyon's furry creations are winkingly derivative of Sesame Street, with animation breakouts and educational lessons. The cast, especially Noah Harrison and Emily Benjamin, performs with physical and vocal exuberance, making it seem as if the puppets are truly alive.
Conclusion: Sunny Escapism with a Message
The production trades on its sweet, subversive, and manic charms, though the story itself is not especially strong. It offers sunny puppet-bound escapism while reflecting on human messiness, ending on a hopeful note with a "this too will pass" spirit. At the Shaftesbury Theatre until 29 August, Avenue Q proves that even after two decades, its blend of filth and fun remains irresistibly entertaining.
