Avenue Q is a landmark of New York theater, having run on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre from 2003 to 2009. A month or so after closing on Broadway it reopened at New World Stages where it has been ever since.
The winner of the 2004 Tony for Best Musical (as well as Best Book and Best Score), Avenue Q follows Princeton, a recent college grad who moves to Avenue Q with a tiny bank account, and full of hopes and dreams. His apartment may be shabby but the neighbors seem nice enough. He meets Kate, Lucy, Rod, Trekkie, and more. The show follows the group of friends as the attempt to navigate life, relationships, jobs, and finding their ever-elusive purpose.
Over a decade after it first graced a New York stage, Avenue Q is as relevant as ever. The story and songs have stood the test of time and garner many laughs from the audience. Some of the best songs include "What Do You Do With a B.A. in English?", "My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada", "There's a Fine, Fine Line", "The Money Song", and "For Now". And they are all sung and acted by a talented cast.
Probably the only show where actors get to show off their singing, acting, and puppetry skills, the cast has to be a certain kind of triple threat. I saw Jed Resnick as Princeton/Rod, Nick Kohn as Brian, Dana Steingold as Kate Monster/Lucy & others, Jason Jacoby as Nicky/Trekkie Monster/Bear & others, Grace Choi as Christmas Eve, Zonya Love as Gary Coleman, and Kerri Brackin as Mrs.T/Bear & others. Their voice skills are incredible, as most of them play different characters and often have to switch incredibly quickly. They also are clearly enjoying themselves on stage and love what they do.
Jed Resnick is the understudy for Princeton/Rod as well as other characters and I loved seeing him go on. He embodies the characters really well and exudes boyish charm in the part of Princeton while his acting as Rod was wonderful to watch.
I purposely went into the show knowing very little about it. I only knew "There's a Fine, Fine Line" and knew little about the plot. I was glad of that, because it allowed me to thoroughly enjoy the show and discover what my favorite parts of it were based on seeing it.
While I wouldn't recommend bringing your children to Avenue Q it is enjoyable for teenagers because it's real life and adults will enjoy it as well. So, take the advice of their advertisements and "go all the way to Avenue Q!"