Whether you are a Broadway fanatic or not, chances are you have heard of Avenue Q. Avenue Q is a coming-of-age musical that addresses societal issues and issues of those entering adulthood. However, the show is very unique to other Broadway shows because the cast consists of puppets. Despite this element, Avenue Q is definitely not a show to take children to. They may be puppets, but they have real problems, and convey their issues through raunchy songs.
Many might think that putting on a famous and extremely successful Broadway show in a college theater is risky. Yet, the Stevens Dramatic Society handled it as a creative challenge. According to Ian Diguilio, the Producer and Production Manager, this is the most modern show SDS has put on. The material is fun and goofy, yet very true to life.
Of course, SDS had to make their own version of Avenue Q unique and stand out from the Broadway production, so it wasn’t just a “rip-off” of the original. The creative juices were definitely flowing for this production. Diguilio said that the student designers were able to get more creative with prospective ideas and then put it into reality through the instructive directions from the director. There are numerous small details in the musical that make it unique to Stevens. Many people probably wouldn’t notice, but the set design is made to look like Hoboken. In fact, the crew took pictures of actual buildings in Hoboken for the design of the set. Since Avenue Q is meant to be located in more “run down” part of Manhattan, not on the prestigious streets of Broadway themselves, Hoboken seemed the perfect inspiration.
Other than the set design, the light design was different to that of other shows, since it required some special attention. Katie Brown, the Design and Lighting Director, had to experiment with the lights more than usual since spot light had to bring out the puppets and certain puppets were bright colors. For example, a blue puppet required different lighting.
For a technical school, the production had a lot of creativity in it. Most of the music that is played during the show is performed by merely five musicians, with the help of a musical director, who is also the lead pianist.
The actors had faced a challenged with this specific musical, from the unusual obscenity of the material, to working with puppets. Most actors convey the feelings of the characters through facial expressions and through body language, yet for those actors working with puppets this was impossible. The emotions had to be portrayed through projections of the voice and the slight movement of the puppet. Of course, the actors used their facial expressions a little bit to show the audience the feelings of the puppets, since their eyes couldn’t be closed. Translating emotions into the puppet while remaining physically neutral and putting focus on the puppet is a tough juggling act. Yet, the cast handled it beautifully, as Brown mentioned the growth of the actors. Brown said it might be hard to believe but only several weeks ago the cast was struggling to move the puppets while singing, and remembering their lines appeared messy. The improvement of the cast can be attributed to their diligence and the training by an expert from Broadway.
Even if people have seen the original Avenue Q, they should still come to the Stevens production. Everything about the show is special to Stevens. Diguilio stated that the show has received a lot of support from both alumni and current students and faculty. Many people contacted SDS and offered their help, making the show only that more special. The actors took from their experience of living in Hoboken and put it into the production. The production allowed for a lot of technically-minded people to take a break from all the science, hopefully the audience will feel the same way. When asked how the show is special to Stevens, Kathleen Nevola said that the Broadway show is tidier while this one has more “rough edges” and is more real.
There is something for everyone: fantastic singing by actors like Julia Cahn and Kathleen Nevola, humor (the audience is guaranteed to laugh hysterically), and people talking to puppets. The cast and crew have been working on the production since February, constantly trying to improve the show even days before opening night. Mostly the actors are excited, ready to perform in front of an audience, and feed off the energy of the crowd.
