The " I walked out of Avenue Q at intermission because I thought it was insipid,self referential and had an elementary score" thread- Page 2

[Steve2]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 11:35am

I consider myself a broadway fan and regular theater goer but really have no desire to see Avenue Q, despite all the buzz. I can certainly understand how someone would walk out at intermission.

[Corine2]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 11:38am

No you don't. You can just donate your tickets to the Corine2 Q FUND.

[Loge]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 11:43am

Ave Q is definitely a show I will never see. While I love my comedies (Producers, Jerry Springer, etc) I just think Ave Q is way overhyped and I think the OBCR is wretched. When I first bought and listened to it, I thought it was cute, and had it's funny moments. But, I realized pretty quickly that the whole Gary Coleman thing is just stupid (even I could think of that) and the fact that the show generates a large portion of it's laughs based on Gary's inclusion and Christmas Eve's accent - it's just lame. And, I don't like the score either.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 11:48am

You say you love THE PRODUCERS, and won't even bother with AVENUE Q. That doesn't make much sense - AVENUE Q's book, score, cast, and overall show are far FAR better crafted that the drivel in THE PRODUCERS, which has some of the most predictable, truly un-funny jokes I have ever heard.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 11:50am

I have never seen the show, but going by the recording.......When I first got it, I thought it was a great, funny cd. Now, I don't even really listen to it. It is like the songs aren't funny anymore. Even though I do like a few songs and can listen to them all the time, the rest of the songs are just a little annoying now. I still want to see it though.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 11:51am

Oh...I don't like the producers recording at all.

[Urban]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 12:02pm

I don't know why somebody would spend all that money on a ticket, only to walk out half way through. I have sat through shows I have detested and still watched to the bitter end because I paid good money for it, and I was going to get my moneys worth.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 12:04pm

Amen, Urban.

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 12:09pm

Broadwaygiant... I didn't care much for it either. And just for the record, there have been numerous threads and posts by people who feel the same way. I didn't walk out, but as far as I'm concerned it's definitely "Off-Broadway" material. That's where it should have stayed. I have serveral out-of-town friends who went to see it, and were equally disappointed. It's cute, somewhat clever, and mildly amusing. But that's about it. I wasn't the least bit offended by it. I just found it to be slight and sophomoric. An over-priced, over-hyped, trifle of a show.

Updated On: 2/27/05 at 12:09 PM

[MissNY]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 12:12pm

How can you judge a show based strictly on the cast recording, especially when you are dealing with puppets. Most of the laughs come from the dialogue and watching the manipulation of the puppets and the cast, not from gary coleman or christmas eve. I can understand that there would be people who don't like the show, there will never be a show that appeals to everybody. But why would you say negative things about it when you haven't even seen it. I don't enjoy the soundtrack that much either, I havent really listened to it in forever, but I adore going to the show. I'm not saying you should go spend the money and see it if it doesnt interested you, but keep an open mind about it Updated On: 2/27/05 at 12:12 PM

[eslgr8]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 12:13pm

It never fails to amaze me that no matter how uniformly praised something may be, there will be people who will say it's horrible, boring, stupid, and overrated. No one will convince Broadwaygiant to change his mind, and Broadwaygiant will never convince anyone who loves the show (myself included, and I saw it twice...and Caroline, or Change three times and they are both great...apples and bananas) that it sucks. Just accept that Broadwaygiant is in a very small minority (though I'm sure it doesn't feel good to be in that position and one would like to find others who share one's opinion)...and leave it at that.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 12:26pm

MissNY--First off, it is CAST RECORDING not SOUNDTRACK. And I said that I DID want to see it I just think that some of the songs fall flat now because I listened to it so much when I first got it. But, I will listen to it today since I haven't listened it to it in a while and I shall report back to you.

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 12:30pm

If we just "leave it at that" there's really no need for a Broadway message board, now is there? I thought this was supposed to be a place you could come to discuss shows, exchange opinions, share likes and dislikes, agree and disagree, ask questions, and share information about everything and anything theatre related.

[OrdinaryJukebox1]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 12:36pm

To spend up to 100 bucks on a ticket, and wait for the show to roll around, I can truly say, that I probably wouldn't walk out on a show. However, if someone sees Act 1 and hates it, there is VERY little chance that staying for Act 2 will change their mind about it.

-Vincent

[eslgr8]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 12:41pm

Discuss all you want. That's what Ebert and Roeper do. It can make very interesting conversation. But in the end, Broadwaygiant can never be "persuaded" into liking Avenue Q, just as no matter how much he or anyone else uses adjectives like "insipid" (it's not), self-referential (?), and "elementary" (again I disagree), my love for the show will not change. I don't mean there should be no discussion. But in these kinds of discussions, it seems often to end up being people butting their heads up against each others' saying "like it, damn you!" or "hate it, please!"...and that rarely leads to anything but people agreeing to disagree, which was the point of my previous posting. Broadwaygiant, you didn't like Avenue Q and now you know that there are some people who agree with you! But in the end, these are simply opinions, not facts.

[QtKt]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 12:50pm

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, of course. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it.
Personally, I adore the show, it's one of my favorites, and I think it was very well written, very original and it definately deserved to win the Tony.

[MissNY]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 1:02pm

spiderdj82--you are right, sorry about that :) And I wasn't refering to you with my comment, I was more answering Loge's comment.

[filmgirl325]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 1:13pm

I completely agree...everyone can argue back and forth forever...my final thought is this...if you don't like avenue Q or even go as far as hate it (such a strong word) then that's ok...and for those who love it (like myself) keep loving it and know that the majority of the Tony voters agreed with you...and as a side note...people kept mentioning how hyped it was...um I could have sworn that Wicked was the one that was over hyped! Oh and also...when you insult a show you insult the cast...and that goes for lots of shows..not just Avenue Q...these people work there butts off for eight shows a week...so maybe people should ease up a bit. They are giving it there all...and to walk out I think is extremely rude!

[Justice]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 1:16pm

I think people who don't like the show are offended by the truth of many of the clever lyrics.
It's not a spectacle, nor should people go in expecting to see a big Broadway show.
With songs like "The more you Ruv Someone" how could you not like it?
Then again, people are entitled to their own opinion, and lack of a sense of humor might be the cause.

[Joshua488]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 1:22pm

AVENUE Q is alright. That's it. It wasn't an excellent show. I wasn't offended by anything. I just expected more from the story and the score after all this hype I had been hearing.

The score is pretty elementary. It sounds straight from "Sesame Street".

So it's not BAD, but it's definitely not worth all the hype.

I have a sense of humor, Justice, but when people say that this is the best musical, I expect THE BEST MUSICAL. Not just a really funny one.

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 1:25pm

I'd like to remind viewers the catagory is Best New Musical, not best musical... i stress the new because part of the award is having a great product and part of the award is having a NEW way of doing things.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 1:28pm

Um...new, as in opened this year.

And although CAROLINE OR CHANGE was last year's best musical, I wasn't upset by Q's win at all. Atleast WICKED didn't win.

[Justice]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 1:30pm

So then why didn't Urinetown win over Thoroughly Modern Millie? Urinetown was new and different. TMM was a movie made musical that had all the elements of a typical B'way show - one that we have all seen and heard before.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 1:32pm

When my best friend and I saw Avenue Q, we both walked in expecting to love it. I liked it a LOT, but he hated it... And he's a huge theater person and also very vulgar (absolutely nothing offends him). He thought the jokes were all forced and unfunny and had a lot of other opinions that I could respect if not agree with. However, at the curtain call, he was one of the first people on his feet. I was slightly confused and when I asked him why, he said that the actors were all phenomenal and he could appreciate them even if he didn't like the material. I thought that was kinda nice. So I guess, to each his own.

[MissNY]

Posted: 2/27/05 at 1:34pm

New at the Tony's refers to when it came out, not an original concept. However, the uniqueness of Ave Q's puppets is definately part of the appeal. If it were the same show minus the puppets I don't think I'd enjoy it that much

QtKt--I love your icon, Rab Sapp is totally awesome