Avenue Q
- tabithacatlin
- 23 hours ago
- 7 min read
Shaftesbury Theatre
Interview with Oliver Jacobson - 'Brian'
Avenue Q is back in the West End and has been altered to make it relevant to 2026. It's a hilarious show that will leave you in stitches, and it also has some beautiful embedded messages everyone needs right now. It is the perfect escape and light-hearted piece of theatre, with crazy puppet characters. Want to know what we thought? CLICK HERE to read the review.
It's a show that has made a stamp on my musical theatre favourites, and the songs by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx are now a MUST on my playlists. They are so vibrant and catchy. The story written by Jeff Whitty is something that will uplift you with comedy and remind you of life lessons we all need to remember in a society that can feel so heavy at times. It's a joy to watch.
We were lucky enough to have a conversation with Oliver Jacobson, who we have interviewed before here! He was previously in 'Choir of Man' at the Arts Theatre and has so many incredible credits. He plays 'Brian', one of the human characters in Avenue Q, and he had so much to share about this wild show.
Let's get into it.
Q: Tell Us a Little Bit About Avenue Q?
A: It's about a group of characters that live on 'Avenue Q', and how they deal with life. The trials and tribulations of life, relationships, and not being able to figure out what you want to do with your life. Which I think everyone can relate to. When you just put it like that, it's a very simple premise. But, when you add puppets to the themes and the comedy, it's very satirical, and the puppets have sex... which is something everyone wants to see, right? I like to describe it as Sesame Street, but for adults!
Q: What Is Your Role In The Show?
A: I play Brian, who is one of the human characters. There are 10 cast members, three of whom are ensemble members. The seven that you see most of the time, four of them are puppeteers, and then three of us are humans. My character, Brian, is married to a character named 'Christmas Eve', and they are slightly older than everyone else on the avenue. They're possibly 10 years in on their journey, and every character is at a different stage.
Princeton's at the beginning, where he's arriving fresh-faced, everything's a possibility, and then you have people like Kate Monster, who has been there for a while, is learning that life can be difficult, she's still trying to get there, but she is more jaded and has a bit more of life to wear her down. Then, you have Christmas Eve and Brian, almost at the end of their Avenue Q journey. They are, in a way, like the mum and dad of the group. They facilitate introducing everyone and bringing the avenue together. Brian is one of those characters who wants to know everyone, have fun with them and wants to be there for each character! He just facilitates a lot of connections within the group.
Giving the role my personal stamp, I think, was a collaborative process. Costume design also helped bring Brian into the modern-day era. Avenue Q was set when it was written 25 years ago, but this production has been updated to 2026. Brian's costumes are new, more colourful and a bit more stylish. I've tried to make him a little less of the stereotype of a 'classic New Yorker' and bring myself into his character. He's a bit more genuine. I wanted to make him fun in a way that shows that he's clinging to his youth, but it is trickling away.
Also, playing my character alongside puppets, you wouldn't have these really realistic characters talking to puppets. So, I've really enjoyed figuring out how to keep my character realistic, but still vibrant in this puppet world. Without being jarring! The Brian I created is different from the original, but I think it works for 2026. Society has moved on, and I feel this production of Avenue Q needed a different kind of Brian than it needed back when it was written to maintain the comedy and its charm.
Q: What's your favourite number in the show?
A: It's 'Schadenfreude', which I'm not in. It's so fun to listen to it from the wings every night. It's such a well-written song. It's so funny, and it's so true. We all laugh at that stuff that the song is about. We all do it! It's a brilliant song. If they ever changed it to have Brian in the song as well, I would be there in a flash! I would love that!
Q: If you had to pick a character from the show to be stuck on a desert island with, who would it be and why?
A: Probably 'Kate Monster'. She is just sunshine. This feels weird because I'm not talking about the lovely Emily Benjamin, who plays Kate. I'm talking about 'Kate Monster'. Working with puppets is a very unique process because whenever I'm on stage with her, I'm only ever looking at 'Kate Monster'. In all the scenes where I am talking to the puppet of 'Kate Monster', you feel like you have gained these connections with the characters. That moment when we come out, for the start of the show, and 'Kate Monster' says "Hi Brian", and I say "Hi Kate Monster". I just think about how it's such a lovely way to start a show. It's a nice little conversation, like you would have, on your front doorstep with your neighbours.
'Kate Monster' is just such a kind and fun character. I think that Emily Benjamin has done really well bringing the vibrance to 'Kate Monster'. People may think that 'Kate Monster' can be a bit downtrodden, and she's lusting after the guy, but I think Emily has given Kate a lot of power. 'Kate Monster' is a strong woman. If we were stuck on this desert island, she would help me with all the things that I'm too useless to be able to work out on my own, and then she would listen to me moan. She would go, " Are you gonna ask me about me?", and I would go probably weeks forgetting to ask, and she wouldn't be upset about it.
Q: What would you want the audience to take away from the show?
A: There are quite a lot of nice messages in the show, even though it is a comedy. I would say that 'you don't have to have everything figured out right now'. We all stress every day, always thinking that we need to know what we're doing and that we need to know what our purpose is. We think we need to achieve every single dream tomorrow, but the show reminds you to take a step back and remember it's ok if it takes time. It's also ok if your life doesn't go the way you thought it would; you can still find meaning in other things.
Purpose and meaning aren't just about your job or what you do, it can be in so many other things. It's just about not worrying about tomorrow, today, so drastically. It will come, life will figure itself out, but just enjoy what you can in the moment without crippling yourself with all that worry. The bad things are only for now, you know? They'll come and go, and then they'll come back again. You know, nothing is permanent.
Q: Have you got a favourite audience reaction?
A: A few times, things get stuck, and a sign gets caught, and it's incredibly funny. And the audience is very aware that something has gone wrong. We just kind of stand there and laugh with them, and it's one of those shows that if something goes wrong, it's not the end of the world, because you can just laugh with the audience. In one of the songs, we ask the audience to pass a hat around for people to make donations. Someone put in these pins for everyone, as in like a little gift for the cast. But, as the audience passed the hat around, the rest of the row thought the pins were from us to them, so then they just all started taking them out, keeping them for themselves. There was also a guy, he must have been on the first date or something, and he really wanted to impress his girlfriend. So he beckoned us over and put a tenner in the hat, and he went "There you go fella". It's nice to have a moment in the show where we go into the audience and see all these human moments. When you're trying to explain to someone, you need to pass this hat without being able to tell them that, because you're singing the song. It is a very fun, but sometimes stressful moment.
Q: Who would you say was Brian's best friend on Avenue Q?
A: At the wedding, Nicky is his best man. But I do feel like he gets very close to Princeton. When Princeton comes to the avenue, they get very close very quickly. When Princeton is struggling, I know it's funny, but at the start of Act 2, he's depressed. Brian's the one who comes to find him. He's the one that encouages him to get up, get dressed, and go out. He's the one to show him how life isn't that bad.
Brian is an important character because he's there for people. But I do feel like he struck up a connection in Princeton really quickly, and they do become really close. But then also, 'Christmas Eve', Brian's girlfriend. They're the type of couple that are also best friends. They fight all the time, but they're clearly in love. I think that's an important friendship in it as well, that people don't always think about. People who are married are also best friends. I just think all the characters love Brian.
Q: Describe why people need to see this show in one sentence?
A: If you're struggling, but also need to cry so much that your pants fall off, come and see the show!
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