avenue q question

[ontheT]

Posted: 8/10/04 at 5:27pm

ok, i have never seen avenue q, and i always wondered by lookin at the CD, are all of the characters puppets, or just some of them. i am kicking myself for asking this...don't hurt me

[KMF_NYC]

Posted: 8/10/04 at 5:28pm

well -- there are the puppeteers also...no pain meant

[ontheT]

Posted: 8/10/04 at 5:31pm

thanks guys!

[Jon]

Posted: 8/10/04 at 5:43pm

To clarify:

There are seven performers:

PUPPETEERS:
One woman who plays Kate Monster and Lucy T. Slut
One man who plays Princeton and Rod
One man who plays Nicky, Trekkie Monster and A Bad Idea Bear
One woman who plays Mrs. Thistletwat, A Bad Idea Bear, and assists with the operation of Trekkie and Nicky (they are two-person puppets).

NON-PUPPETEERS:
One man who plays Brian
One woman who plays Christmas Eve
One woman (!) who plays Gary Coleman

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 10:47am

By the way... this show is one of the most over-rated shows on Broadway right now. Strictly "Off-Broadway" material if you ask me. It opened "Off-Broadway" and should have stayed there. At an Off-Broadway theatre at Off-Broadway prices the show would have been cleverly amusing. At Broadway prices it's a rip-off and a major disappointment. I still can't beleive it won the Tony for Best Musical. Ridiculos! Awarding this show a Best Musical Tony will only encourage more sub-standard Broadway fare. If this is the direction Broadway is heading... I'll head the other way. Save your money and go see a "real" Broadway show!

Posted: 8/11/04 at 10:50am

I love it. It's different. It's real. Its not "i'm singing because i feel pain" its singing because "i suck and everyone else on this block does too". Come on now. So what if broadway heads in a different direction. That's your opinion. Obviously the show is the best musical out there now, and people like you didn't vote for it. Life a little. Don't be so serious. Personally, I think RENT should've been docked long way back. Crap. Music sucks. See...I'm giving my opinions :)

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 4:23pm

Ay Ay Captain! But why do you say that it's obviously the best musical on Broadway right now? Just because it won the Tony? Surely you're aware of how political the whole Tony Award nomination and awards process can be. But if you want to spend over $100.00 per ticket to see an "Off-Broadway" show with muppet-like puppets, than be my guest. Like I said, it was cute, it was clever, and it was mildly amusing. But I personally know at least 7 or 8 out-of-towners who wanted to see it (becasue it won the Tony for Best Musical), ignored my advice, saw it, and were very disappointed.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 4:51pm

We don't need ANOTHER rant or fight about if avenue Q should or shouldnt have won best musical. It is a great show but why lower the price for this ONE show, why not do it for all the other shows on broadway? One reason is because some of the producers are greedy. Another one is because if people dont spend 100 bucks to see the show they might think it is not as great as a show like Wicked or The Lion King for instance. Also, how is avenue q not a real show?

Updated On: 8/11/04 at 04:51 PM

Posted: 8/11/04 at 5:19pm

Tickets for Broadway musicals do not cost $100+ because producers are greedy. They cost that much because musicals cost so damn much to produce. And it's not just the base salaries for actors, staff and designers - it's all the extra financial stipulations that the unions impose upon the producers. There are literally hundreds of them! Read some of the rulebooks and contracts of the theatrical unions... you would be amazed!

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 5:31pm

Chinkie... I didn't say that "Avenue Q" wasn't a "real" show. I merely stated that in my opinion it is not "Broadway" quality. It is more suited to "Off-Broadway" in size and content. At an "Off-Broadway" venue, at "Off-Broadway" prices, I would probably have been pleasantly surprised and would have reccomended it. But at over $100.00 per ticket, I would never reccomend it to anyone. Tony, or no Tony!

Not to mention that there's not much of an orchestra, only one set, no costumes to speak of, and I don't think they have to pay the puppets.

Updated On: 8/11/04 at 05:31 PM

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 7:10pm

If it's on Broadway it's a Broadway show. It's that simple.

[bythesword84]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 7:12pm

Thanks Jai for stepping in for that because otherwise I know I'd have had to say the same thing.

[shlamdiddly]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 7:23pm

Get over it! Avenue Q has $100 tickets, It's on broadway and it won the tony. You may not like it but thousands of people do. We;ve had these SAME arguments over and over and over! let it go!

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 7:36pm

I'm so tired of people arguing what's "real" broadway and what's not. If Broadway were only one type of thing, it'd have an even smaller following than it does now. People make different types of movies: thriller, sci-fi, romance, action, drama, comedy...etc. and even these have subcateogories within themsleves.
You may not have liked the show you saw, but that doesn't mean you have to judge why it's on Broadway at all.

A Chorusline's entire set consisted of mirrors
Rent has only 4 people in their band
And the producers may not have payed the puppets, but they did pay for the 14 puppet builders who spent a MINIMUM of 4,800 on all those puppets and the expenses for the fleece, boning, and reticulated foam rubber to make those puppets. That's not even mentioning the amount it cost to make Ann Harada's costume outfitted with Xmas lights that had to be visible onstage.

[Jon]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 7:56pm

Shows that started Off-Broadway:

CAROLINE OR CHANGE
AVENUE Q
RENT
URINETOWN
CONTACT
HAIR
A CHORUS LINE
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS

and many, many more...

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 7:57pm

Who cares? I still thinks it's "Off-Broadway" material. Cute, clever, mildly amusing, but "Off-Broadway" material none-the-less. And I beg your pardon, but I've never had this discussion (I'm not arguing) before on this or any other board. If you have, and you're bored with it, than kindly stay out of it and allow others to express their opinions.

Updated On: 8/11/04 at 07:57 PM

[bythesword84]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 7:59pm

You're not actually having a discussion though. What you're doing is saying "this is what I think and no one's going to get anything else out of me."

[Plum]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 8:01pm

I think CurtainUp's points are valid, even if I disagree with him/her. Besides, how many people here really change their minds about most things?

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 8:06pm

And what are you saying bytheword? What exactly would you like to get out of me? You have your opinion, and I have mine. I just don't consider a puppet show with one set, no costumes, and no orchestra to speak of to be of "Broadway" quality. Yes, there have been many other shows that started Off-Braodway and moved to Broadway, and rightfully so. I've enjoyed many of these shows, and consider some of them to be "Broadway" quality shows. I just don't think "Avenue Q" is one of them.

Thank you Plum for agreeing to disagree. I'm not tyring to change anyone's mind. I'm just stating my opinion.

Updated On: 8/11/04 at 08:06 PM

[bythesword84]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 8:11pm

I'm not trying to get anything out of you, you can like whatever you like. I'm just saying that you can't expect to say something like that and then not have other people dispute you. That's what the board is for really.

[LadyGuenevere]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 8:12pm

"No costumes"

If I'm not mistaken, the actors don't go on every night with different clothing. They do have planned outfits that even their understudies wear.

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 8:15pm

Yes... I'm aware of that Lady. Give me a break! You know what I mean. I don't consider T-shirt and jeans to be a costume. But I realize that whatever an actor is wearing on stage is technically a costume. And yes... the puppets are wearing costumes too.

[LadyGuenevere]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 8:18pm

Hey, I wasn't trying to jump down your throat.

I'm just saying, that in a show taking place today, in the streets of New York, people won't regularly go walking around in floor-sweeping dresses, top hats, all that lovely 'costume' stuff. I think that jeans and a tee could still qualify as a costume. Updated On: 8/11/04 at 08:18 PM

[Kelliexo90]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 8:18pm

Forget what I said, Lady already said it.

Updated On: 8/11/04 at 08:18 PM