Avenue Q At The OB Playhouse

Oh, Avenue Q. How I love this musical! With puppet sex, race jokes and songs about porn what's not to love? Directed by Jennie Gray Connard with Musical Direction by Kirk Valles the OB Playhouse performed a spectacular version that kept me laughing throughout. After the opening theme song, Marc Caro, who played the main character, Princeton, hilariously performed "What Do You Do With a B.A. In English" and subtly set the tone of  the musical. "It Sucks To Be Me" introduced everyone onstage in a fun yet relatable way. Once we got to "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist" the tone was not so subtle anymore and the crowd opened up to the boundary pushing ideas that the musical portrays. A favorite of the viral webs "The Internet Is For Porn" and the rest of Act 1 was perfectly knee slapping. It ends on a slightly somber note with "There's A Fine, Fine Line" performed by Sara Ah Sing who plays Kate Monster. The song is a touching reminder that every situation in life can have a good or bad outcome and Sara's voice is as sweet as the sentiment she sang of.  

Act 2 is just as hilarious but it's also where the plot develops and you really start feeling for the characters. They each battle their own demons which reflect some of the most core social issues we face today. Through the help of passing time and good friends they all conquer their problems learning important lessons along the way. The Bad Idea Bears keep popping up like the angels and demons of consciousness feeding nothing but bad ideas to the main characters. Rod and, his roommate and best friend, Nicky's relationship toils as Rod battles with self-acceptance. Kate Monster deals with being born different than the majority and the rest of the neighbors in the apartment complex they all live in each have problems to overcome. The message of the show is made clear in the final number "For Now" where the entire company let us know that any problem in life is only temporary and if we just look at life with some humor we might make it through the bumpy ride unscathed. 

​The cast and crew of this production did a stellar job and I can't wait to see the next show. The OB Playhouse does this show each year and will be doing it again in the late summer to early fall of 2019. To see upcoming shows, purchase tickets or donate to the OB Playhouse go to www.obplayhouse.com!

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