Profile for ricklyon

The authors tried to have a conversation with him about being in the show when it was conceived as a TV project. They even scheduled a meeting, for which Gary Coleman did not show up. Basically, when it became a stage piece, and "Gary Coleman" became a major singing role, that conversation was over, for several reasons (not necessarily in this order): first, Gary lives in CA and has to go to dialysis multiple times a day - not very practical for someone in a NY stage show; second, Gary Colema...

I would say the answer is that they changed their minds! :) I will say this about Gary being played by a woman: it is one step further removed from the real Gary Coleman. It totally makes sense to me as a way to create distance from the real person, and since the way the puppets is used is SO theatrical, why not keep being theatrical and have a woman play a man? We're pretending pieces of foam and fabric are real - why not pretend a woman is a man? When I have seen the show with male Garys (L...

Because the men in the show, including the puppet roles, can be any ethnicity. But with the Broadway casting, the human women are both specific ethnicities. So any male understudy can sub for any male role, but the female Xmas Eve and Gary subs have to be a specific ethnicity (as well as a specific gender). See? A female Gary understudy cannot understudy Xmas Eve, nor can they understudy male roles, and there are more males in the cast. A male African-American understudy can understudy ALL th...

Raker, have you seen the show? Gary is one of the wisest characters, and is cast in a very positive light. It doesn't make fun of him. No one calls him a has-been or laughs at his situation except himself. Gary Coleman should be happy that AVENUE Q makes him seem like a well-adjusted, knowing fellow who has pretty much accepted what life has thrown at him. The casting change is driven primarily by economics. If Gary is a man, the show requires fewer understudies. The casting for Q has always ...

"I actually would object to a High School doing Avenue Q. Rent as (sic) a point behind its language and subject matter. Avenue Q is adult comedy and should be kept as such." So vulgar language is OK for a high school production if a show is "serious?" I daresay AVENUE Q has as many "points" to it as RENT. AVENUE Q deals humorously with many contemporary issues - acceptance and tolerance chief amongst them (hm, RENT does that too, right?). High school kids are some of Q's biggest fans. Do you ...

The only authentically green lead performer on Broadway is Nicky in AVENUE Q! Everyone else is a poseur slathered in green makeup. Nicky IS green! :) PS: po·seur (pō-ˈzər, ˈpō-zər), Noun: a person who pretends to be what he or she is not

Hey, folks. Rick Lyon here. This thread was just brought to my attention, and I wanted to clarify a couple things, since there were a pretty good number of posts here... I did NOT make the puppets for the Kalamazoo Community Theatre production of AVENUE Q. I didn't have anything to do with it - didn't coach the puppeteers, didn't make the puppets, didn't even consult with the people who made them. In fact, I don't even know who made the puppets. Apparently, the folks who made the puppets, who...

There USED to be a video of the presentation of the BEST MUSICAL award on the official Tony website. It's probably too old to still be there at this point. Good luck with your search.

Hey, folks. For the record, AVENUE Q did not close quickly in Las Vegas. It ran for 9 months, and never lost any money. HIGH FIDELITY, now THAT closed quickly. LESTAT, GOOD VIBRATIONS, LENNON, THE TIMES... CHANGIN', etc, etc - those are quick closers. Please note that in Vegas, HAIRSPRAY closed in about four months, less than half of Q's run, and PHANTOM is not a huge sellout boffo smash, either, for all its new stagecraft and extreme shortening. Broadway-style musicals are a hard sell in Sin...

Many thanks, everyone, for your kind words, emails, etc. I really, really appreciate it. Cheers! Rick

Yes, the phony laughtrack is absolutely horrible! The puppets are not bigger in London. This footage was obviously shot with very wide angle lenses - anytime the camera gets close to something, the proportions get all distorted. As for the puppetry, I'm sure they're better now - this was shot early on, probably during previews. And remember that none of them had previous puppet experience - which is how they cast the show these days. The functional manhole is something that we always wanted o...

Hi, folks. This is Rick Lyon. Just wanted you to know that this is my final 3 weeks in AVENUE Q on Broadway. My last show is 7pm October 29. Thanks for all your support and well wishes these past nearly 4 years, off and on Broadway and in Vegas. It's been an honor to perform for you, and the acceptance I've received from theatregoers like you and the Broadway community has meant a great deal to me. I'm especially proud of the many charitable BC/EFA events I've volunteered for on AVENUE Q's be...

I know of no immediate plans to sell Q puppet toys in NY. I was told it is largely a matter of space - the merch area at the Golden is very small. I personally think it's crazy not to sell them - what would you rather have, a keychain, or your own Trekkie Monster?

Hi, folks, this is Rick Lyon. I have never said that I will "never allow mass-produced AVENUE Q puppets or dolls to be sold, " so I don't know where that notion comes from, Jon. In fact, I spent a considerable amount of time and effort in helping design toy versions of the Q puppets Princeton, Kate Monster, Rod, Nicky, Trekkie, Lucy, and the Bad Idea Bears, and I'd LOVE to have them out there earning me some royalties. We were supposed to sell them in Vegas. Mssrs. Lopez and Marx and our prod...