AVE Q - What do you think about?

Ok, I'm not trying to be negative or start trouble, but I have some legitimate questions about Avenue Q. While I enjoy some of the songs, I find two major things about the show unbelievably lame and unoriginal - those being the inclusion of Gary Coleman and the character of Christmas Eve.

Gary Coleman, as a super selling his stuff on Ebay? Come on - even I could think of that. I hate this being part of the story, and really avoid these tracks on the cd.

Christmas Eve. I find the whole accent thing to be very lame...because that's how the show generates a large percentage of it's laughs. I don't know...I'm not overly politically correct, but we saw this in the film "16 Candles" and it was done better.

So, take out these two factors, and what would Avenue Q have?

The more I listen to this cast recording, the more I dislike it! The songs were cute at first, but with each listen, they become, quite frankly, lame.

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well, to each his own...

Why would one have to be a Wicked fan in order to not like Avenue Q? There are people out there who don't like Avenue Q for reasons that are totally seperate from Wicked.

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"(which I haven't done), but I just think it's weak to rely on a very weak story (Gary Coleman) and an Asian-American accent to generate a large majority of your laughs. "

There's your problem right now. What makes you think that the majority of laughs come from these two characters? Gary Coleman, while integral is hardly the central focus of the show...

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But if people quit griping then we wouldn't have a board.

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Here is my opinion. I think it is fun and funny and I like it a lot. BUT, I think a lot of the songs were written for the "Shock" value and none of the songs are "brilliant" (at least what people have set the bar for on this board). But, like I said I really like Q so I am not bashing on it. I am just saying.

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Ok, I'm not going to "defend" Avenue Q, but for those that have listened to Fine Fine Line and can tell me it isn't "smart" go ahead...

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Actually, to tell you the truth....I think "Fine, fine, line" is actually the best song from the show with music and lyrics. I think it is gorgeous.

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I find myself enjoying the more "serious" or "emotional" songs than I do with the ones where they are trying to be funny.

To me, Fine Fine Line and Fantasies Come True are much better than Everybody's A Little Bit Racist or If You Were Gay.
With that said, The Internet is for Porn is genius...not so much that it hasn't been done before (a lot of the jokes Avenue Q uses have been done to death) but for it's execution.

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Updated On: 12/7/04 at 03:51 PM

"Gary Coleman, as a super selling his stuff on Ebay? Come on - even I could think of that."

How many has-been child celebrities have wound up as supporting characters in Broadway musicals played by the opposite gender? It was a daring and risky move that actually is quite funny in the show and paid off.

"Christmas Eve. I find the whole accent thing to be very lame...because that's how the show generates a large percentage of it's laughs."

The accent IS funny (Margaret Cho's impersonation of her mother gets some of the biggest laughs in her stand-up) and the show encourages us to laugh at something society tries to stifle. The show is modeled after Sesame Street which was a pioneer show in multiethnic casting and racial blindness. Everyone's a Little Bit Racist is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to that and would be less humorous without her accent (especially the final line). Rod is gay and sounds extremely effeminate. Not all gay men sound like that, but part of what Avenue Q is about is the truth upon which stereotypes are founded (racism, homosexuality, college students, has-been child stars). Since the show makes fun of itself, it's not offensive, but funny. If it's a critical and financial success and wins multiple awards, how lame can it be?

Take out those two things and Avenue Q would not be Avenue Q. What would you put in their place that would work better?

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Loge, I think that you should just see the show and that might help you understand how everything fits. I liked the show from listing to the CD and I then saw the show a few months later and liked it even more. Some people have to actually see a show on stage to fully get what's going from the recording and how it all works on stage.

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I will defend Avenue Q.
Honey,
You need to see the show. You need to see Stephanie, John and Rick perform with the puppets. It is very POWERFUL.
I think the whole score is beautiful especially Purpose and Fine Fine Line.
No other show has moved me like Q. It is very meaningful and beautiful.
Before you knock it. Go and see it.
When I heard the cd (before seeing the show) I did not feel the same way.
It is all about what Stephanie and John do with it.
It is brilliant, touching, funny and my heart belongs to Q.
Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez deserved that Tony. I still think that Steph was robbed from hers.
Saying you don't like a show that you have not seen does not make sense.

Now get out there and see Q.

Updated On: 12/11/04 at 03:55 PM

Did I say I was a writer? No! Do I have a legit question? Sure! All I'm saying is Gary Coleman has been made fun of a million times and Asian-American accents have been used to generate laughs in a dozen movies and onstage. It's not original.

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