The fun-filled Broadway musical “Avenue Q” has dropped into the Backdoor Playhouse as of last night to begin its performances for the fall show. The first performance was last night, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m.
This part-flesh and part-felt musical is about some of the true struggles college kids face once they graduate. Typical questions of, “What am I going to do once I graduate, or with a B.A. in English?” are asked. Later on down the road, some may look back and ask, “Did I really think it would all turn out this way?” The first song is sung by Rod, played by senior English major Houston Fehrman, and is entitled, “What do you Do with a B.A. in English?”
“The show suggests that pursuing dreams is good and it’s OK to do; however, sometimes things are going to be altered and everything might not turn out the way you thought it would, but that’s just like real life,” said director Mark Creter. “The characters talk about how you must go with the flow and be good to people in the process.”
“If you look back in 10 years and think things didn’t go how you thought they would, there’s nothing you can do to change the past now,” said Creter. “You have to be realistic and go with the flow. People must be flexible and open to what the future holds and what lies ahead.”
Freshman English major Samia Anderson plays Kate Monster, a character that addresses the worry of most girls in their early 20’s, “Why don’t I have a boyfriend? What’s wrong with me? Will I ever get married? Maybe I should just give up.”
“Kate Monster has the perfect life and great friends, but she doesn’t understand why she cannot get a boyfriend,” said Anderson.
Many girls in college feel this same way. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and when Kate Monster meets Rod she realizes that maybe everything really will be OK.
In the show there are many different types of characters. There are the successful people, the moochers, the famous and the ones who like to party. Morgan Corlew, assistant stage manager said the play could almost be described as an adult version of Sesame Street. Kate Monster would be like Zoe, Trekkie reminds many of Cookie Monster and the relationship Nicky and Rod share is similar to that of Bert and Ernie’s.
Richard Lopez wrote the music for “Avenue Q.” Though most aren’t familiar with a lot of his work, many have heard of his recent successful pieces of music in the movie Frozen.
Many aren’t aware of the play or the fact that it is a big deal to have such a play performed here at Tech.
Even though it may be a little edgy, Fehrman, president of The Tech Players club said, “I love that Mark isn’t afraid to do the plays that might be controversial. We have a chance to do some really great shows under his direction. He just grabs the good ones and goes with it.”
The show will run Nov. 7, 8, 10, 11, 14 and 15 at 8 p.m. A late show will be performed Nov. 13 at 10 p.m., and one matinee performance will be Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.
Even though “Avenue Q” does have puppets in the show, parents should be advised this is not particularly a children’s show. Creter advised this has a South Park style of humor with a little raw language and possible controversial contents such as drinking, discussions of sex, sexual orientation — one song is entitled “If you were gay” and another is “The Internet is for porn.” People are encouraged to be flexible and open to the show and to know that “Avenue Q” has not been authorized or approved by the Jim Henson Company or Sesame Workshop, and therefore they have no responsibility for its content.
