 | Avenue Q | Sep 23, '07 9:57 PM
for everyone |
 I was first introduced to Avenue Q by my friend Chesca way back in 2005. With songs like the 'Internet is for Porn', 'Everyone's A Little Bit Racist', and 'If You Were Gay', it was love at first listen. When I found out it was a Broadway musical, I was always hoping one day it would hit our shores. Lo and behold, that day finally arrived for me last Saturday as I finally caught the local production of the hit musical. And I definitely wasn't alone! I infected my brother and he infected his wife and friends, I invited some online buddies of mine to meet up for the first time who are fans of the show (Chad, Ginny, Jori), and of course, went with Junnis and her best friend Chesca, the one who started it all (and was the most late to the actual show! haha). The wRongBad Seats: Ok ok, it's not really the production's fault as it is my own cheapskateness, but I got probably the lousiest seat in the house. Right balcony, end seat, directly behind one of the spotlights. As in, that spotlight occupied it's own seat which lead to my mom being upgraded to the loge section! Good for her, bad for my view! haha. Well, at least I know where to sit in RCBC Theater next time...^_^ The RightThe Music: I haven't listened to the entire soundtrack and chose not to in order to be surprised when I watched it, and was I ever! The entire 2nd half I had no idea what to expect. On the whole, I was impressed by the wonderfully honest and sometimes profane lyrics sung to playfully catchy (and innocent) Sesame Street-esque tunes. Songs such as 'Fine, Fine, Line' and 'Mix Tape' tug at the heartstrings, while most songs like 'Schandenfreude' (taking pleasure in other's misfortune), 'It Sucks to Be Me', 'For Now', and many others deal with the realities of life with charming tongue-in-cheek humor that makes this musical so unique from all the rest. Where else can you find the line: "Grab your d*ck and double-click for porn! porn! porn!"?  The Cast: Phenomenal cast. Period. Ok, not really a period because there's much to be said about these guys. Everyone did an exceptional job playing their parts, and most had multiple puppet roles, holding the tradition with the Broadway musical. Felix Rivera does a fantastic job playing the lead Princeton and his dual role as closet-homo puppet Rod. I was also enchanted with Rachel Alejandro's loving Kate Monster and her polar opposite, the aptly named Lucy the Slut. Joel Trinidad's happy go lucky Rod and horny as hell Trekkie Monster nearly steal the scene every time too. Frenchie Dy (as Christmas Eve) and Aiza Seguerra (as Gary Coleman) seemed to be born to play their roles as well, with the latter sharing some similar child star stigma that only added to the role. Even though I've only seen YouTube snippets of the Broadway and UK version, I'm confident to say our local cast is just as good and talented as any! The Puppets:These guys can hold their own against any Jim Henson or Sesame Street puppet any day of the week. The dynamic between Rod and Nicky mirror that of Bert and Ernie only more entertaining because of the homosexual overtones. Trekkie is a Cookie Monster parody except he's not obsessed with cookies... but porn. Princeton is your everyman we can all relate to, and Kate Monster is the hopeless romantic with big dreams that most girls can see in themselves as well. Avenue Q simply has memorable characters with flaws and good qualities that reflect us so much, it's hard not to love 'em all. Oh, and they're not kidding when they say full puppet nudity in this one! Yowza!  The veRdictFor those who haven't seen Avenue Q, well... it sucks to be you! But don't fret! Rachel herself announced the repeat performances this coming December 14-23 so there's hope for you yet! Seriously, this is something you should not miss. You don't have to be a play fanatic or musical junkie to be entertained by Avenue Q. You just have to be a regular guy going through everyday problems and realities. If anything, the play inspires us to accept these realities and that we can overcome them with support from our loved ones and a firm sense of purpose in our lives. I highly recommend those who haven't seen the play to catch it this December... By then, I'm sure to be excited to see it again... with better seats this time!   | may nakalimutan ka.. si Mrs Thistletwat ahahahaaa.. yung teacher.. eheheheee |
 | i nearly cried when kate monster sang "a fine fine line." it's funny how one can relate to a puppet. hehehe |
 | haha yeah, she had a minor role kasi. but she had a good line though, yung: "old bitches are the cornerstone of this nation" or something...^_^ |
| ryderaquino wrote on Sep 23, '07, edited on Sep 23, '07  it's funny how one can relate to a puppet.  i love that! it is funny how much we see ourselves in them, but i guess the great cast did a convincing job in making these puppets come to life. sometimes i'm torn which to focus on, the puppets or the the puppeteers, but what's cool is that the latter also 'acts' as if he/she is the puppet - from the facial expressions and movements. oh, and yes, i also thought 'fine, fine line' was a very touching song and scene indeed...T_T |
 | i loved it! :D sucks to be me! haha |
 | I love the cardiac, er mammary, monitor... LOL =) |
 | alam mo that one of the creators is part pinoy? |
 | It's funny how we can all somehow relate to these puppets. I most specially loved Felix Rivera as the bright-eyed college grad Princeton with big dreams and a tiny bank account. The show can be an excellent opportunity for parents to discuss with their coming of age children the real life issues that will come up during the show like falling in love, racism, internet porn etc. Love, love , love this 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, I was laughing out loud throughout the show. |
 | I watched it last week... I loved it! Especially the "internet is for porn" number. hehehe. 1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9..10..11..12..13..14..15....15 minute break!!! hehehehe! Panalo :) |
 | You're correct Ryder. If people reading this haven't seen the local run of Avenue Q...
It definitely suck-a-suck-a-suck-a-suck-a-suck-a-suck-a-sucks to be you! Sorry, I know it ain't nice but I just can't help but type that! =) |
| haha glad i finally got to meet you and chad! we all have our 'sucks to be me' phases...^_^ |
| haha yeah! nice touch and so in line with the character! i love that there are those little details that make such a difference. ano seats mo when you watched pauly? |
| yeah! i just don't know who though! haha. i wonder what christmas eve would be like if she was pinoy, lolz |
| haha that would be a shocking coming of age experiment. hey kids, this is what the birds and the bees really is... (enter: kate monster and princeton getting it on). hahahaha! maybe we'll bring junnis' 12 yr. old sis mayumi on december. kids are pretty mature these days anyway... might as well learn the realities of life through puppets! |
| hahaha yup, loved every bit of it. even the intermission is creative! like i said, the little things that make this play wonderful...^_^ |
| sorry, i can't help but take pleasure in other people's misfortune...^_^ |
 | 'Internet is for porn' <-- wahaha pang-asar sa ken ng officemate ko..wala lang..^_^ |
 | sighs wrote on Sep 24, '07 damn. i was in ny and i watched altar boyz instead of this. hahaha. mind you, i loved the boyz as well. stupid hawaii. dont have any theater ANYTHING here. well except hula shows. |
| ryderaquino wrote on Sep 24, '07, edited on Sep 24, '07 it's funny cuz' it's true, hahaha |
| haha don't remind me. although those seats do allow you to see things you're not supposed to see like who's manning the puppets on the roof and in the windows...^_^ |
| that's ok! just make sure you catch it before you die ok? hahaha! if you want, fly on over here on december to catch the repeats! i guarantee it'll be a hell of a lot cheaper than watching it on broadway. or if you're really penny-pinching, i think there's a bootleg torrent of it floating around the net somewhere...^_^
and darthie's right, be grateful for your coconuts, pineapples, and hula shows! lolz |
| sighs wrote on Sep 24, '07, edited on Sep 24, '07 right. like i care. i wanna get out of this island asap. may buko't pinya din naman satin ah. buko pinya pie ng jollibee, miss ko na. kaso sa summer of 08 pa ang balak (pinas). and i think you're implying na my inability to fly places is merely me "penny pinching". hahaha, ano ko, rich? :P
edit: seryoso ka ba about flying to pinas being cheaper than if i watched it on broadway? cause december flights are... kinda expensive. like, a thousand dollars plus couple hundred bucks, eh to new york it's just gonna be what... 400 bucks plus the ticket? :P |
| i'm just kidding of course. as for the prices, actually i have no idea, hahaha. i just think the play tickets will be cheaper here than the broadway version. you're right though, december plane tix are probably through the roof. bootleg it is then! haha |
 | Hi Ryder. Read your review. Thank you very much. You don't know how this means to the cast and the crew. :)
we'll be back on december as you guys know already. can't wait. |
| ryderaquino wrote on Sep 28, '07, edited on Sep 28, '07 wow! i never expected one of the cast members to reply to this review! i feel honored. thanks, it's great to know you guys care about what us fans think. and i think it's unanimous - excellent job all around by you guys, the crew, the director, everyone! i think i speak for all when i say avenue q is one of the most entertaining plays to hit our country. i'm definitely catching it again this december and spreading the word to even more friends! thanks again for dropping by mr. princet... um, felix! haha |
| ryderaquino wrote on Nov 15, '07, edited on Nov 15, '07 finally, after so many months my friend sent me this photo of us with Rachel Alejandro and Joel Trinidad:  From left to right:Chesca, Junnis, Rachel, Mama, Bleau, Moppet, Moí, Ogie, Edsel, Joel Kitakits ulit sa December repeats! |
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