A vibrant and raunchy show that adds so much colour to the west end scene, and a massively talented cast.
Avenue Q is an up-to-date, vibrant show with an absolute corker of a cast – a brilliant success of a musical! A show any theatre fan should go and see, or in fact any puppet fans! For a small cast, they truly pack an absolute punch.
Emily Benjamin as Kate Monster / Lucy The Slut stood out as an incredibly strong performer, especially in her convincing duality as the two entirely opposing characters, both in physicality, but also in the way that she changed the quality of her singing voice when singing as the different characters. If I hadn’t known they were the same person going into it, I would be fully convinced that they were separate people. A showcase of exceptional talent through and through.
Her castmate, Noah Harrison, showed a very similar ability to adapt to completely differing characters and yet was utterly convincing in all areas when on stage. He had played a soft and lovable Rod – opposite the brilliant Charlie McCullagh playing Nicky – and had the whole audience absolutely feeling for him! It was a brilliant display of how even in a theatre as large as the Shaftsbury, a performance can still be as intimate as if you were living these events with the characters. As Princeton, he showed another side to himself, showing a plucky young thing, although equally as easy to sympathise with. Another masterclass in performance for any audience member.
The set, unassuming at first, is brilliantly designed, with a simplicity to it that allows for a lot of fun with the staging of songs – and a surprise manipulation of the set in act 2! The movement in this entire piece is absolutely brilliant and just adds to the complete hilarity of the show as a whole, especially in conjunction with the puppets. Speaking of the puppets, they are gorgeously designed and absolutely brilliantly handled. Hats off to the entire cast on this – but especially to Meg Hately, who stepped in frequently to take over when multiroling was taking place and changing her physicality across all of the different roles that she played – not an easy feat!
A small moment that stuck out across the entire cast through the entire show was that the puppeteers kept the Puppets breathing throughout the whole thing. In theory, a small moment, however, something that just shows how slick, polished, and professional this company truly is.
This production cannot be complimented enough. An absolutely brilliant show, one that I truly believe everyone should come and see. Well done to all involved!
Avenue Q is running at Shaftesbury Theatre until 29th August. Tickets here.