Walking into Peninsula Community Theatre on Friday night, my perception of “Avenue Q” was basically – so they made Sesame Street dirty, sending the Muppets into the real world where they are allowed to cuss, have intimate (physical) relationships, do drugs, and be, can you believe it, gay.  As a longstanding Muppet stan, I was worried that the show wouldn’t give the puppets the respect or love they deserve, and it would come off as just some unhinged stand-up routine aimed at the “rebellious” young adult man contingent.  And while the first sentence above is an accurate representation (so take care to consider who you bring with you to this show), the second is notably not, especially in the hands of this director and this cast (more to come on that below).

I cannot say enough about the quality of this cast.  They are, top to bottom, amazingly expressive (both through their puppets and as actors), completely bought in, and stunning singers.  Our leading lady is Kate Monster, played beautifully by Alexandria Adams.  Adams’ voice is astounding, her performance emotional, her acting superb.  It is true for the entire cast, but especially with Kate Monster – you never stop to think about the puppet as something separate from the actor, a credit to the work they have put in (along with choreographer/puppet trainer Garret Roberts).  Meanwhile, this is the first time we have seen leading actor Mike Mazzocca on stage rather than behind the scenes, and he is magnificent as both Princeton (the recent college grad searching for his purpose) and Rod (who is definitely not gay).  Mazzocca is a fantastic singer, and is able to change his voice just enough between his two characters that, even if both are in the scene, you can tell which puppet is speaking.  He had you rooting for that little puppet, hoping Princeton doesn’t follow the advice of those two Bad Idea Bears.

Stealing the spotlight often are the actors behind those Bad Idea Bears – Jude Terry and Maya Garcia.  Both are tasked with multiple roles, working together frequently but also on their own at times, and both are great.  The Bad Idea Bears hilariously push the primary plot along through deception and faulty logic.  Terry also takes on the roles of Trekkie (a realist when it comes to what the internet is most used for), and Nicky (a kind-hearted and accepting soul, if only a so-so roommate).  Both Nicky and Trekkie are often puppeteered by both Terry and Garcia for extra dexterity – which you might think would be distracting, but is actually additive, with Garcia’s expressiveness giving an extra dimension to each character.  Speaking of Garcia – she was a real “glue guy” in the cast, perfect in every role she took on.  She was so confident and an excellent singer as Lucy, very convincingly strutting around the stage.  And Garcia was hilarious in every other bit role she got to take on, including Mrs. Thistletwat (whom, I think, just might have gotten the same accent as a certain Miss Shingle in “A Gentleman’s Guide…” a couple of years ago).  A massively impressive performance.

And we can’t forget about our non-puppetting cast.  Jahi Mendes hits the right comical notes, eating his popcorn upstairs while the leads fight, and I’d trust him with keeping my heartbeat consistent any day – he seems as if he was born to be the straight man, surrounded by the chaos of the puppets.  HRACT Award winner Chasida Taylor is so fun to watch almost skip around the stage as Gary Coleman, clearly having the time of her life while filling out the sound of every ensemble number with her impeccable vocals and gleefully searching for life after being a child-star.  And Vivian Isabel, with her at times wise and at times misguided advice as the character Christmas Eve, lends a bit of stability and reality to the others, while making important points about life as an immigrant and what is truly important.

Sounds like a lot going on, am I right?  Like a show that could go totally off the rails, as the actors push just a little bit more, improvising an extra one-liner here and a small (but inevitably growing) movement there until it is chaos on stage?  It is definitely a show that needs strong direction, and John M. Post provides just that, reeling in this enthusiastic cast to ensure the audience isn’t pulled in too many directions.  Post and assistant director/set designer Jeff Corriveau (becoming quite the strong duo both onstage as actors and, now, backstage as collaborators) deserve a ton of credit for bringing the cast together, and pairing them with a top notch crew.  The set looks like that familiar backdrop of row houses and stoops you remember from Sesame Street, with doors and windows ready for puppeteering, but all (intentionally) a little bit dingier and colors a little more faded than what you remember from your childhood.  This show continues the string of impressive lighting packages put out by PCT, this time by Nina Anne Martin, who cleverly backlights windows for proper puppeting effects and spotlights the “Avenue Q” and “New World Street” signs at just the right moments (a small detail, but appreciated).  And, sound engineer John Wilt and music director Kristin Mazzocca (the other half of the Musical Mazzoccas, a nickname I will continue to try to make happen) are able to create an excellent sound from just four instruments and seven voices. 

This show has heart – heart which I didn’t expect when I was imagining that misguided and irreverent stand-up routine.  Somehow, even through the “real-world” problems, bad words, sex, and porn – the show ends up with the same themes and lessons as an episode of Sesame Street.  So go find your purpose, share with others, forgive, and find love – and enjoy some crassness at the corner of Avenue Q and New World Street while you are at it.

(New this season, our wonderful cat Pepper wanted her voice heard as well, if you all will oblige her…)

Pepper’s Purr-fect Picks: No mention of cats, although there was mention of fur; they’re right – you have to avoid getting that fur in your eyes.  Two paws up! 

(Pepper also canonically sells concessions at the various community theaters.  She always comes up with a themed drink special, which is for entertainment purposes only and notably IS NOT in fact available for purchase)

Pepper’s Drink Special: “The New York Minute” – a rum and Coke (it only takes a minute to make).  Nonalcoholic version available upon request (it’s just a Coke).