REVIEW: Avenue Q (Reston Community Players)
Preview: I’ve got a real soft spot for Avenue Q — to this day, I maintain that the better musical won the 2004 Best Musical Tony Award. The Muppets pastiche which ran in New York for 16 years has made its way to the Virginia suburbs this month, bringing with it Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez’s brand of edgy humor and infectious songwriting. What I sought on my trip out there was to find out whether the puppetry and comedic presence could be found on this stage to match.
Book/Music: I’ll keep this brief as it’s an established musical, but for those new to the show, here’s what to expect. Princeton (puppet), a recent college grad, moves to New York and finds a community in the downtrodden-yet-homey burg of Avenue Q. His neighbors, Kate, Nicky, Rod, and Trekkie (puppets) and Brian, Christmas Eve, and the superintendent Gary Coleman (human) quickly explore the realities of adult life in the style of Sesame Street. There’s a grander plot involving finding one’s purpose, but the enjoyment of the show comes from the detached handlings of unrelated issues such as porn, racism, and philanthropy. Some of Robert Lopez’s best score work comes out in Q, including the ever-funny “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist” and “If You Were Gay”, the musical forms of which were specifically refined in his later hit The Book of Mormon. Lyrically, it’s very obvious that this couldn’t get produced today in the same way it was in 2003, but to view it as a product of the time it creates a bittersweet time capsule of mainstream American society in a post-9/11 world. Its ending is poignant, if not unresolved, which is a point in and of itself. I noticed that Jeff Whitty’s book did recieve some contemporaneous edits (there’s a Swift-Kelce reference), but others (“Who is Gary Coleman?”- every viewer under 25) could use some changes. Its relevance may wane as new generations of theatregoers dilute audiences, but until then, this remains a must-see show. 10/10
Acting: Community theatre never fails to give heart, I will say that. Seldom talent, too, but the passion is what drives the experience. Luckily, the Reston Community Players have both. For a company made up of mostly locals (the superbly impressive Ashley Williams, who plays Gary Coleman, is a Pre-K teacher), their control of the puppetry and vocal chops were top-notch, rivaling that of recent professional productions I’ve seen in the city. It’s hard to single out praise when the company is this good, but Colleen Lynch’s Kate Monster was particularly impressive. Her academic training in theatre seemed like overkill for this stage, in which her vocal control and persona as Kate is a treat to witness. Kyle Chua’s turn as Christmas Eve dawned on me as a revolutionary take on the controversial character. Usually an intentionally racist caricature of East Asians, casting Christmas Eve as an Asian man in drag turns it from “funny-for-a-moment-I-guess” to genuinely cheer-worthy. You can look into the cultural analysis of tackling cultural prejudices via drag all day long, but let it be known that a Virginia community production of a 16-year-old show that features puppet sex is what’s doing it well. 9/10
Production: Of all of the things in this production that gave “community theatre”, this would be it. The set emulates the flapped windows of the three rowhouses seen in most, if not all, Q productions, but it appears this one had quality issues; several instances of people hitting heads, unable to open or close windows, and tripping over stairs. Perhaps chalk this up to poor direction, or lack of quality rehearsal time? Regardless, when everything else was as high quality, it’s the haphazard production quality that stands out. Points for the creative graphics on the screens and puppet blocking, though! 3/10
VisDev: Program art is non-existent, but I’ll be nice about it. It’s just some credits and a logo of the show. I will say, however, that it’s comprehensive and high-quality. Pre-show staging, much like the general set, emulates the classic production, featuring a childlike painting of the neighborhood, flanked by two TVs playing puppet-themed videos on a loop. 6/10
VERDICT: Avenue Q in Reston is as charming as ever, with surprisingly great performances almost masking the low-budget environs.
