Broadway's "Avenue Q"

I'm sure most everyone is already familiar with this show. I'm sure most everyone has heard the soundtrack, or is at least vaguely familiar with the concept of "Avenue Q". I knew the soundtrack by heart when I walked into the theater last night. It was my first time ever seeing the show, yet I had to consciously stop myself from singing along with the opening number.
All of my high expectations were met. I already knew most of the jokes, and their respective punchlines, but the actors delivered everything with a fresh edge that had me laughing out loud from lights up until the curtain call.

Right now the show is starring Howie Michael Smith. And may I say -- YUM. Not only is he one of the most attractive people I've seen on Broadway, he's also one of the more talented! His precisive character vocals and child-like engagement in the puppetry was astounding. You couldn't help but smile whenever he was on stage (nor could I help but blush!) The female lead, Mary Faber, was also spot on. Both actors were flawless, especially when voicing two different puppets that were on stage at the same time. It was amazing to me that their 'voices' never mushed together to sound mostly the same. The talent in every regard for both of these leads was hugely impressive.

The rest of the cast was good. Christmas Eve (played by Ann Sanders) was slightly inconsistent in her Asian-mocking dialect. Trekkie Monster and Nicky (voiced by Christian Anderson) were both engaging, if not standing out. Gary Coleman (played by Haneefah Wood) was funny, but only when the joke was centered on the character. Otherwise the performance was pretty lazy. Brian (played by Evan Harrington) was actually the worst of the cast. Every line fell off at the end, and the poor fool just never found a comedic beat to save his life. And the ensemble players? Well, they're ensemble for a reason…

The show lives on punchlines and shock-humor, and boy, does it deliver! Even with mediocre performances from the cast (excluding Smith and Faber!) the show was nothing but loveable and hilarious. I would definitely recommend it to anyone (except maybe not my mother…) even if they are familiar with it already. There are a few surprises that don't exist on the soundtrack, and seeing the show really solidifies the plotlines' progressions.