The story behind Avenue Q is a familiar one: Youthful dreams of making it big in New York City with a tiny bank account. In the opening act, we’re immediately introduced to an apartment-hunting college grad named Princeton. He contemplates life, his direction, his purpose—and then breaks into a musical number titled “What Do You Do With a BA in English?” Avenue Q won several Tonys, including Best Musical—which they snatched up from leading contender and now international mega-hit Wicked. But it’s the way the story is told that’s truly notable: Puppets. Irreverent, sassy puppets with names such as Mrs. Thistletwat and Lucy the Slut. The show was meant to be an obvious homage to PBS’ long-running children’s program Sesame Street, with a few more topics thrown in: homosexuality (see: “If You Were Gay”), racism (“Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist”) and pornography (“The Internet Is for Porn”). Brought to you by N, C and the number 17.
Fri., Jan. 29, 8 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 30, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 31, 3 & 7 p.m., 2010
