Avenue Q

Shaftesbury Theatre

If you don't belly laugh at this show, then you take life way too seriously! Unapologetically funny, the most animated and energetic performers on the West End. The joy we need!

Right, stop sitting there saying you don't want to see a musical with puppets! This is our reminder that we shouldn't take life too seriously and to live in the moment. Avenue Q is a musical, with puppets, yes, for adults (please don't take your 5-year-old, it's not the muppets... at all), and whilst the jokes make you sit there and go "can I laugh at this?", it is just that unserious couple of hours of escapism we all need. I mean, Craig Revel Horwood loves it, and that man knows quality, so if that doesn't convince you...

Get your one-stop ticket to Avenue Q, it's a musical that features a selection of brilliant cartoon-like performers from big musicals, it's a mix of monsters and humans living in perfect harmony on a street in New York City, an area that people can afford. So there's quite the mix. It's tongue in cheek, it's catchy, and it catches you off guard all the time. There are some real standout performances and wholesome moments that warm your heart. Basically, it's everything that makes a musical brilliant, with lovable puppets. If you don't like puppets, then I don't know if I like you. Avenue Q has been away from the theatre scene for way too long, and even though it's a couple of decades old, it's not aged! This production, directed by Jason Moore and set design by Anna Louizos... you know what, the whole creative team are sensational. This show is like a real-life cartoon, and we don't usually talk about casting, but hats off to Pearson Casting for finding the best bunch of performers for this show, such energy, vibrance and their own characterisation alongside the puppets was so addictive. It was hard to fully concentrate on the puppets when they were so charming as well!

We're already talking about the cast, so let's have a deep dive, shall we? Emily Benjamin is a standout; she has moments where she plays both Lucy The Slut and Kate Monster, and she can just switch from one voice to the other without fault. The amount of concentration and how she hides her voice playing both parts is insane. It's impressive how she connects to the audience through both puppets and creates a rivalry relationship between her characters. She gets the audience on the side of one of them and reacts to each scene. At times, I found myself vocalising my feelings towards what was going on in parts of the story. Both Brian, played by Oliver Jacobson and Christmas Eve, played by Amelia Kinu Muus, are a dynamic pair in the piece; the comic couple they play is hilarious. Ameila Kinu Muus plays the partner who wears the trousers, not only with her partner but also in her friendships with the other characters. They all gravitate towards her for support. In comparison, the other characters gravitate towards Oliver Jacobson as Brian for fun and more compassionate/fun moments. But you can't help but love Trekkie Monster, played by Charlie McCullagh. He's such a hilarious, simple and very fluffy addition. McCullagh is one of the most animated performers; the voices that he creates are so unique and varied from character to character. Noah Harrison plays Princeton, who is the character who sparks the journey, and he is a character you are drawn to. His character is naive, young and searching for his purpose. Noah Harrison plays this young and vibrant character well. His energy, speed of reaction and vibrance create this hilarious and lovely character. Although you know he's a bit of an idiot, he's just a bit foolish, and this naivety he creates in this character is what makes you love him, even through the ridiculous things he does.

What an animated group of performers that create these cartoon-like characters. The set by Anna Louizos, puppets by Rick Lyon and costumes by Jean Chan also help bring this animated world to life. There are so many beautiful textures that make a real-life cartoon world. Every creative element has clearly thought out of the box to help build on this animated environment. The show just keeps wow'ing the audience with all the fun ideas; it's clear they also had so much fun creating the show. One of the coolest moments is in one of the songs, items are turned to puppets with faces and start singing... this is hilarious and utterly fantastic. Each scene and song is packed with an array of visuals to keep the audience involved and feeling like they are inside the story. A true escapism into a very fun, light-hearted world. I could write paragraph after paragraph about the specifics of why this show is fantastic... but that would ruin it, so you need to see it for yourself.

Look, this is brilliant, you just can't fault it, and it is just the perfect light and fluffy theatre experience that we all need. I can't stress that enough. It's a show you will want to experience over and over again. It's a perfect time to get this show back on the stage, isn't it? I wasn't sure what to expect because I knew it was an adult musical, and sometimes they can be a little too crude. But, this show has the right level of silly and serious to make it a little tasteful. I'm already trying to sort out my next trip. Welcome back to the London theatre scene, Avenue Q. We really needed you! You've crashed into the West End with a perfect team of brilliant performers, a creative team and every single person working on this show to make it animated and HILARIOUS.