Avenue Q In Concert

Review by Sam

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As they celebrate coming of age, the original London company of this hilariously naughty musical reunited for two 18th Birthday party “in concert” performances.

Set on a downtown street in New York, Avenue Q attempts to make sense of life’s burning issues through it’s lovably hopeless residents in this irresistibly charming musical. I sadly never saw the show prior to this, but as soon as the concert was announced I booked tickets quicker than Trekkie Monster opening a private browser on his computer! This semi-staged version was a laugh-out-loud experience not for the easily offended, expertly directed by cast member Julie Atherton, who honoured the 2006 production with beautiful projections as the reunited ensemble watched on.

Setting the tone, the show opened with Trekkie stating that all the jokes were written 18 years ago meaning we can’t cancel any of the performers today. However, countless updated references were included to keep the material as fresh and funny as ever, allowing audiences to have a riot of a night. One of the highlights was the clever use of the Les Mis set (where the concert was being staged) which the cast were self-aware enough to mention regularly throughout.

Stacked with one of the most talented comedic ensembles in the West End, each and every performer showcased why they were born to play these iconic roles and how skilled they are 18 years later at both puppetry and comedy. With a cast this talented, the ability to improvise came in their gallons, with the unrivalled talent of Simon Lipkin causing his peers to break on multiple occasions. Giles Terera joined in with the evenings antics, picking on an audience member during “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist”, causing eruptions of laughter from the cast and band alike.

Despite not being as narratively concise as The Book Of Mormon, Lopez’s first musical remains as gut busting as ever featuring utterly side-splitting humour from start to finish. Hopefully the love for this show can help pave the way for a long-overdue return to bring some much needed fuzzy joy into peoples lives.