AVENUE Q

A very Happy New Year to you all! In a bid to escape the manic celebrations in Edinburgh, I decided to venture south and spend New Year with family and friends in London. Every Christmas, I try and see a new musical. Although I saw Avenue Q in August, I just couldn’t resist returning again tonight. Avenue Q The Musical was created by to gentlemen called Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. The pair began writing Avenue Q in 1999, thinking that their idea would make for a great TV series. Four years later, in 2003, the musical hit New York's Broadway, eventually reaching London in 2oo6. It is like a kind of ‘Adult' version of the 'Muppets/Sesame Street’. Indeed, on December 4th 2006, the cast of Avenue Q (only 8 in total) appeared at the Royal Variety Performance. They performed several numbers from the show including the hilarious, ‘It Sucks To Be Me’ and ‘Only For Now’. The songs are as catching as those from ‘Grease’ and ‘Cats’, and the lyrics are very meaningful; a colleague of mine has even used some of these songs during RME lessons!

'Avenue Q is the story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who comes to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. He soon discovers that the only neighbourhood in his price range is Avenue Q; still, the neighbours seem nice. There's Brian the out-of-work comedian and his therapist fiancée Christmas Eve; Nicky the good-hearted slacker and his roommate Rod -- a Republican investment banker who seems to have some sort of secret; an Internet addict called Trekkie Monster; and a very cute kindergarten teaching assistant named Kate. Together, Princeton and his newfound friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life'.

Broadwaybox

I won’t give anymore away, but if you have the chance, you should go and see it. It is a new breed of musical that is guaranteed to have you chuckling and singing all the way home. A 'must' for any University graduate.

More details can be found at the Avenue Q website.

Best wishes for 2007!