The cast of “Avenue Q” rehearses a scene last week. The long-running Broadway play is a hilarious spoof of popular kid’s shows with a decidedly adult theme./Photo by Steve Egnoire

We’re not on Sesame Street anymore

Humans and puppets interact in FLC’s production of ‘Avenue Q’

by Stew Mosberg

The physical separation between puppeteer and puppet and an audience’s suspension of belief provide the ability to entertain, educate – and get away with almost anything.

And nowhere is this more evident than in the celebrated and long-running Broadway hit, “Avenue Q,” now playing on the Fort Lewis College stage. Starting its 2,500-plus-show run in 2003, the show was co-created by Robert Lopez, who wrote music for the smash hit “The Book of Mormon,” so you know you’re in for a funny and irreverent evening.

 “Q” has won three Tony awards, and while that may be reason enough to stage it in Durango, Director and Choreographer Kathryn Moller explained that FLC’s  theater department selected it for other reasons. “We look for shows that give our students the greatest depth and breadth of production experience. This show was particularly attractive (because) it speaks to contemporary student-aged issues and perspectives. They love it!”

Moller further explained that 2013-14 has been the “year of the puppet” for the theater department. “In addition to “Avenue Q,” we are teaching a class in puppetry and are bringing in five guest artists in puppetry,” she said.

“Avenue Q” is a two-act musical that is a coming-of-age parable, lampooning the issues and anxieties of adulthood. The script depicts the saga of a recent college grad named Princeton (Adam Soward) who moves into a shabby New York apartment on Avenue Q. There he meets Kate (Cierra Taylor), Rod the Republican (Kenny Breece), Trekkie Monster (Gage Norris), Lucy the Slut (Zoe Pike and Kelcee Covert) and equally colorful types who help the hero finally discover his purpose in life.               The characters, both human and puppet, bemoan how as children, they were taught by parents and TV shows (such as “Sesame Street”) that they were special and could do anything they dreamed. Unfortunately, as young adults, they discover that in the real world, the options are not limitless and in most cases we are no more exceptional than anyone else.

It is important to note that if you are easily offended or “politically correct,” this play may not be for you. Nor is it for children. Adult language and themes are rampant throughout the hilarious happenings.

Because there are so many performers in this show, it is difficult to single out all of them, but rest assured they are each remarkable in their singing, dancing and puppeteering.

There are three human characters in the show: Travis Penna as Brian; Lindsay Emery and Leslie Insell, who alternate as Christmas Eve, Brian’s Japanese fiancé; and Lily Wolken, as Gary. A cast of 11 rotates the puppeteer duties. Some of the puppets are manipulated by two people, who are always visible to the audience – requiring a substantial step outside reality by viewers.

FLC Music Director Jonathan Latta leads three band members and even gets to interact with the “Lucy T. Slut” puppet, whose name says it all.

The puppeteering mechanics are frequently complex, as the same puppet may be operated by different performers in different scenes, and the actor voicing the puppet may not be the one animating it. Confusing? Not really, it is an ensemble tour d’ force that is fascinating to watch in and of itself, suggesting that more than one viewing is called for.

The set designed by Evan West will be recognizable as a Sesame Street-inspired work; three of the puppet characters are obvious parodies of well-known Sesame Street personalities. For example, Rod and Nicky are a spoof of Bert and Ernie. And Trekkie Monster bears the frenetically pleading voice and temperament of Cookie Monster, but here his obsession is internet porn rather than baked goods.

The job of creating the actual puppets fell to the inimitable Charles Ford who, while inspired by the Sesame Street cast, used his prior puppet-making experience to craft these delightfully odd-ball puppets. The half-torso figures frequently seem to meld into the bodies of the puppeteers and, depending on the audience’s angle of sight, gain the appearance of walking. It is amazing the amount of feeling that comes from just the movement of a puppet’s hands, mouth and head. Dressing the puppets was tasked to veteran costume designer Jane Gould who admitted, getting the puppet costumes to fit well was a challenge. “The puppets are not anatomically accurate: big heads, long arms,” she said. “Overall it was different from any show that I’ve done, and it was really fun! The puppets are just so darn cute, and they really come alive with clothes.”

Thematically, all of the characters – both puppet and human – are young adults seeking their purpose in life while facing real-world problems with no clear outcome or solution. They struggle to understand how they could have been so mislead by people they trusted.

As a metaphor for disillusionment, a key figure in the story – albeit somewhat anachronistic – is Gary Coleman, who played Arnold Jackson in the 1980s sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes.” That part is played by Wolken.

Much of the show’s ironic humor arises from its contrasts with “Sesame Street,” a symbol of the differences between childhood and adulthood, as well as a child’s TV world versus the real world. In “Q,” there is one riotous episode of puppet nudity and sex, raising the question: Is it voyeurism to watch puppets getting it on in the bedroom?

Attendees should arrive early because the show is preceded by a side-splitting series of video vignettes created by Austin Minard, which introduces some of the characters during their college days, including drinking games, frat parties and “day-after-the-night-before” payback.

All in all, more than 30 people had a hand in creating “Avenue Q,” from actors and puppeteers to stage hands and lighting gurus. The result is an impressive, entertaining romp that proves nothing is sacred. If one is willing to look beyond the puppet strings, anything is possible – and impossibly funny. Even puppet sex.