"Avenue Q" starts the way any unelightened person expecting it to be a puppet show would; with a "Sesame Street"-esque cartoon. Cute and enjoyable, the show then segways into the opening song "Avenue Q Theme" and immediately into "What do you do with a B.A. in English?/It Sucks To Be Me." The energy of the song (and cast) greatly brought it to life, and the audience.

Angela AI (performed the role of Christmas Eve) was especially a standout during this performance with her quick delivery and high energy, she brought a great amount of comedy to the song.

"If You Were Gay" was a great comedy number, the transition was seamless and that is due greatly to the great lighting technique utilized in this show. One performer greatly brought to my attention during this song was David Benoit. Benoit plays the role of Nicky, Trekkie Monster, Bad Decision Bear and others. I was greatly suprised by this. These roles are extremely diverse; Nicky is a goofball with a voice like Kermit, Trekkie Monster is a creep with a deep gravely voice and the Bad Decision Bear has a voice that sounds as if it is on helium and has dark motives. All of these characters were played extremely well, a stand out performance! If any one cast member really rocked the show, it was Benoit.

"Special" was also a great chance for the actress playing Kate and Lucy (Kelli Sawyer) the chance to show diversity, and she did! She played Lucy with a sassiness and also silliness that was never fully captured by Stephanie D'Abruzzo. Also brought to attention during the following number "You Can be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love) was Robert McClure's easiness and seamlessness. He was cool and dancing all over during the song, and it really brought the audience in on the fun as well. It's amazing how something as simple as having a little fun dancing can befriend an audience.

The second act to the show was more of the same; laugh out loud jokes, amazing lighting and great cast performances. It also was a showcase for Carla Renata, who played Gary Coleman. Through the first act, she was hilarious, but the second caused her to really step up her game and making the audience believe she actually was Mr. Coleman!

There was also a great interactive part to the show I knew nothing about; the puppets raising money to build Kate's School for Monsters! It was a great chance to get involved, and see the puppets up close (they really ARE made out of foam, not fuzz!). It also led to great improvised one liners from the cast; especially Ai (Christmas Eve) and McClure (Princeton/Rod).The rest of the show was adorable and filled with unexpected dance numbers. This show was Fantastic, better than I anticipated.

At the end of the show, Renata (Gary Coleman) came out and asked people to donate money to BC/EFA and gave more information on the organization. I greatly appreciated this because not many people know about this great organization, and it was great to spread the message.

If you have to oppurtunity to see "Avenue Q" -take it, you will not be disappointed!

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