Avenue Q at Shaftesbury Theatre still feels as sharp as ever

Avenue Q | Shaftesbury Theatre until 29th August

“Sesame Street for adults” is still the easiest way into Avenue Q, and seeing it back at the Shaftesbury Theatre right now, it feels as sharp and relevant as ever.

I absolutely love Avenue Q, so I approached this production with high hopes. I call it “Sesame Street for adults” because, in fact, some of its creators actually worked on Sesame Street. However, although there is a disclaimer in the programme stating that it is in no way affiliated with the Jim Henson organisation, the original idea was for it to be a TV series. That didn’t take off, and then it became one of these wonderful little shows that did. It started out off-Broadway, then moved to Broadway, where it actually beat Wicked for the Best Musical Tony and has since gone on to conquer the world.

With the original director and puppet designer, it looks just as it did back then. But they’ve made little tweaks without destroying it or doing anything dangerous. There are references to AI, Grindr, Spotify, and streaming. Gary Coleman is still there, and it’s explained within the show for those who need it. The irreverence is there, as are the songs we know and love.

I quote one aspect of Avenue Q quite regularly. Towards the end of the second act, there’s a number with the lyric, “When you help others, you can’t help helping yourself.” And that’s what both Sesame Street and Avenue Q do. They teach you life’s lessons.

What starts out as very funny and recognisable Sesame Street-style puppets gradually has you caring about what happens to them. The Bad Idea Bears, who encourage people to buy drinks when they should really be working, and Rod, the closeted gay Republican puppet who loves musicals, become characters you invest in. You get drawn into their relationships and their stories, and it becomes something much closer to the human condition.

It’s about finding your purpose and way in life, about relationships, and about how we come to terms with human fallibility. There’s the number “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist”, the point of which is that if we could all accept that fallibility, we would get along a lot more. That feels particularly well timed.

The new cast is amazing. Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut are brought to life by Emily Benjamin. Noah Harrison operates both Princeton and Rod, and while maintaining the original characters, he brings his own energetic spin to them. Charlie McCullough is quite superb as Nicky, Trekkie Monster, and Bad Idea Bear.

I must also mention Amelia Kuna Moose, who plays Christmas Eve. In this day and age, that could be a very dangerous stereotype, which she plays against brilliantly. She’s funny, knowing, angry, and witty. She plays a therapist, a very angry one, and at one point says, “I had people come to see me only once. Maybe I’m too effective.” It’s so much fun.

Initially, I thought the Shaftesbury was too big a theatre for it. But they’re doing some renovation work, so while the upper circle isn’t open, the circle and stalls are, and it plays beautifully in this space. I love that it’s back, and it’s good to see it sitting alongside other recent productions in London, including Marie and Rosetta at Soho Place and Flyby at Southwark Playhouse.

It starts out as very funny and recognisable Sesame Street-style puppets and then you actually start to care about what happens to them. It’s about the human condition. It’s puppet perfection.

It’s very good to have this back.

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