Avenue Q (2003 Original Broadway Cast) Reviews

• An absolutely hysterically funny musical!

  
  By A25AXWGBGJ5KBS on 2004-10-18
  My wife and I just saw this on Broadway last week. It was one of those wipe-the-tears-of laughter from my eyes experience.
  The standard description for the show has been "Sesame Street meets South Park", because the puppets, the setting and the music all are OBVIOUSLY Jim Henson-inspired, and because it is gleefully bawdy and offensive in an equal-opportunity kind of way.
  While that is true, I found that the true similarity lies within the amount of truth and humanity all three have. Things are said, and ideas proposed, that would be inappropriate for "humans" to say. Seeing "puppets" talk about racism, porn, homosexuality, poverty and love enables you to look at it from a slightly different angle, and you'll learn a little bit more about yourself without even trying.
  That is, if you can stop from laughing so dang loud.
  The cast album perfectly captures the show, including just enough of the dialogue to give you the gist of the entire production. The vocal talent is impressive, with most singers doing two (or more) parts.
  Seeing it live, realizing they are acting and puppeteering at the same time, the talent rises from "impressive" to "awesome".
  The songs are flat-out irresistible. You'll be humming along before the individual songs even end.
  The titles alone induce giggling: "What Do You Do With a B.A. in English", "It Sucks To Be Me", "The Internet is for Porn"...
  
  Now, let's be perfectly clear. This is NOT for everyone. If you are easily offended, if you are homophobic, if you are uncomfortable talking about sex or race...this is NOT for you. This is not for kids.
  
  It IS one of the most riotously funny Broadway experiences I've ever had. And the CD captures it perfectly.
  
  By the way, if you haven't seen puppet sex, you haven't lived...
  
  ("It's OK to Be Loud As Hell (When You're Making Love)".
  
  

• Absolutely brilliant, off-the-wall send up of Sesame Street!

  
  By A1MN1Y3QNUFRBE on 2003-10-08
  Yes, the new musical, "Avenue Q" looks like an episode of "Sesame Street," but be forewarned parents, the "Parental Advisory Warning" isn't there for no reason. This brilliant new Broadway show takes a cast of foam characters, who look suspiciously like the Muppets, and uses them to tackle decidely adult issues such as sex, pornography, racism, homosexuality, drug use, cruelty and cynicism. Ironically, this musical's most recent forebear is "Rent," and while that show told its story through rock opera while this one tells it through bouncy, cheery songs that sound like children's music but are in fact raunchy, vulgar, and most importantly, wickedly clever and satirically dead-on parodies (Think of the music to "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" and you'll get the general idea.), the shows' subject matters are remarkably similar, even if their overall tones couldn't be more divergent. Monsters who masturbate? Two male roommates who bring the supposed gay subtext of Bert and Ernie into the forefront? Songs that teach us such valuable lessons as "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist," "The Internet is for Porn," and "You Can Be Loud As the Hell You Want When You're Making Love"? Sesame Street this ain't. Absolutely hilarious it is. If you're in New York, you MUST go see this show, which is funnier than "Urinetown," "The Producers," and "Hairspray" combined. If you aren't, buy this cast album to get even just a small idea of the warped and wonderful world of "Avenue Q."
  
  

• FUNNY Q

  
  By A2F7CCPK4QL359 on 2004-03-10
  Mixing Rent, Sesame Street, South Park and The Simpsons into a musical comedy and you get Avenue Q.

  Q has Rent's characters, Street's puppets, Park's bitting wit and a tip of the hat to Bart and Homer in its delivery. It is adult entertainment for the 70's generation who grew up watching Sesame Street. It's the back alley which we never knew, and really wanted to know about deep down. The cd makes the transfer from Broadway stage to compact disk without a problem.

  The Music of Avenue Q is hip, wicked and amazing funny The music is also a mesh of 70's pop rock lyrics that are character driven more than humor driven. By doing this, it makes Q funnier in scope and delivery. John Tartaglia and Stephanie D'Abruzzo head an assemble cast with a catchy soundtrack.

  For example, the song "The More You Ruv Someone" sound like a Muppet ballad, almost in the spirit of classic Sesame Street tunes penned by Joe Raposo with hipper modern lyrics .

  The cd confidently captures the Broadway show with aplomb. You will listen and wish you were in New York watching this show. This is what a great theater soundtrack should make you do. It's worthy of any Broadway cd collection
  Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD
  
  

• Meh, Wicked's better.

  
  By ARFU9FKFLEGQ1 on 2005-08-01
  Avenue Q is sort of like the Pop/Punk band Blink 182. Gross out lyrics that inspire a "ewww", then after a few listens, a guilty smirk, then a few mor listens and your roaring with laughter.
  
  It's alright. But there are better musicals out there. Mainly; Newsies, Hairspray, The Producers, Hairspray, Urinetown.
  
  AND of course, Wicked.
  
  I still CANNOT believe that Avenue Q beat Wicked at the Tony's.
  That is the biggest outrage since....well, it was HUGE.
  
  Wicked should have, no, deserved to win.
  Oh well, the people who decided are obviously out of their minds.
  
  

• Funny, touching, funny, smart, funny and sweet!

  
  By A1P6CTO5KV3PNF on 2003-10-22
  This is, without a doubt, the best Broadway cast recording (and best Broadway show) I've ever heard (or seen)!!! The songs are very intelligently written and are full of great observations about the world, but without being pedantic. The whole concept of a show strictly for adults addressing very adult topics in the format of children's television is brilliant! My only problem is the funny looks I get as I walk around my law office singing such lyrics as "everyone's a little bit racist sometimes, it doesn't mean we go around committing hate crimes..." I got some REALLY weird looks singing about the internet being for porn. I took EVERYONE who gave me a funny look and let them listen for a while, and EVERY ONE of them really enjoyed the music! I don't understand those that posted the negative reviews below, ESPECIALLY with the reference to South Park. If you check Mapquest you'll see - Avenue Q is about a thousand miles away from South Park!
  
  
• Not sure if you're gonna love it or hate it? Read this!
  By A1EJBUBUVW4T1X on 2004-10-23
  If you've read through several of the past reviews, you'll see that people tend to react STRONGLY to this material -- most think it's brilliant, but some find it trite or offensive, and you may be having trouble determining into which category you will fall.
  
  I went to college with one of the composers, and I knew as soon as I read the song titles on this album that I would LOVE this show -- not only because Bobby is such a talented musician, but because the show's sense of humor is very much based on the experiences that our generation had in college and beyond.
  
  In a nutshell, you will LOVE this show if you meet these two basic criteria:
  
  1) You have a genuine fondness for Sesame Street. If you grew up loving the muppets and enjoying the simple truisms and upbeat tunes of Sesame Street songs, then you will appreciate the music and the style of the show. As a 30-year-old parent of a toddler, I have found myself falling in love with Grover and Prairie Dawn and the gang all over again as I watch the show with her and see it through her (delighted!) eyes. We own a 25th anniversary DVD of the best musical numbers from Sesame Street, and I think my husband and I have even more fun watching it than our daughter does, because as adults, we have come to realize that the musicians who write Sesame Street songs are BRILLIANT composers with strong backgrounds in numerous musical genres. The same can be said for the writers of Avenue Q -- sometimes it takes a very complex understanding of music theory and history to write songs that are so truly simple in their catchy melodies and so simply true in their clever lyrics.
  
  If you are NOT a child of the Sesame Street generation, you may feel that the music of Avenue Q is simplistic or annoying and that the messages are trite or immature. But those of us in the know appreciate that this music is genius. (And the cast members' ability to channel Frank Oz and the other talented actors who have provided years of muppet "voices" is truly astounding.)
  
  2) You can appreciate anti-PC "Gen Y" humor. Like South Park and the Simpsons, this type of humor is meant for people who have had political correctness drilled into them for so many years that they've realized it's time to LIGHTEN UP! If you could write a paper on why one should use the term "Asian-American" instead of "Oriental," then you'll probably be highly amused (and a little relieved) by the simple but true observances in "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist." If you spent four years on a liberal campus where homosexuality was not only tolerated and accepted but perhaps even a bit hip and cool, then I bet you'll love hearing "Ernie" try to convince "Bert" that it's okay to be gay. If your women's studies class taught you all about why pornography is degrading to women, you'll likely laugh to hear an exasperated Kate Monster try to dismiss the notion that for most men (and plenty of women!) the Internet is, at least in large part, for porn. And anyone who has been ashamed to admit that they sometimes long for the safety, camaraderie and freedom of college life will instantly identify with a song about just such a sentiment.
  
  Those who should skip Avenue Q include 1) people who think that a show is only worth listening to if the chords and rhythms are as complex as Sondheim, and 2) anyone who hasn't at one time considered Jim Henson a minor deity. (Don't get me wrong -- Sondheim is, of course, also a god -- but I think there is a place on Broadway for music that is less overtly cerebral and more hummable.)
  
  SUMMARY: Politically enlightened, college-educated children of the 70s and early 80s who know the lyrics to the "Rubber Duckie" song and remember life before Elmo and political correctness will most likely adore Avenue Q. Everyone else should probably skip it.
  
  
• I SAY IT SUCKA-SUCKA-SUCKA-SUCKA-SUCKA-SUCKA-SUCKA-SUCKA!
  By A1ES0C91DRT7UT on 2003-10-17
  AVENUE Q tries way too hard to be cleaver and inventive and it's very transparent and backfires. Sure the lyrics in songs like "It Sucks To Be Me" and "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist" are amusing, but are so only because they use an endless stream of racial slurs within them. It's cute at first, kind of like "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut", but it gets old really fast. The creators have stooped to endless racial slurs (particularly concerning Christmas Eve) to generate laughs, and it gets lame quick. The vocals of many of the leads are just annoying, particularly John Tartaglia (as Rod). It makes this run-of-the-mill, like-every-other-musical score difficult to listen to at length, and I've tried because of the good reviews and raves on here. But, it's a lame show that somehow has tricked its audience into thinking its brilliant. Anyone can write songs with racial slurs, and references to Gary Coleman and get audiences to think it's funny, but they are not! Gary Coleman's inclusion into this show is especially stupid - it's almost like we're suffering through "That 80's Show: The Musical" with the entire lame gimmick used to try to generate laughs - and people buy it??? Yeah, "What'chu talkin' about Willis" is so funny. So is the idea of Gary being a Super at a New York apartment building and selling his possessions on Ebay to make ends meet. Such a brilliant mind thought of this? It's laughable, not because of the writting, but because of the fact that the creators and thousands of fans think this is funny. Obviously, people have a warped idea of comic brilliance in this country. I can't believe an Asian actress took part in this dribble, especially considering it uses Asian American accents to attempt to generate about 80% of its laughs, which is really pathetic! Why do people find accents so amusing? That's a mystery to me! I certainly don't think it's funny.

  This is a bad effort, that somehow got big, and it will get boring fast! It's nothing more than an endless parade of stupid racial stereotypes that a 5th grader could think of!
  
  

• IT SUCKS TO LISTEN TO THIS
  By on 2004-06-09
  THIS MUSICAL IS A PIECE OF TRASH. THERE ARE BRILLIANT COMPOSITIONS OUT THERE - NOT HERE. THERE ARE BRILLIANT LYRICS ARE THERE - NOT HERE. DO NOT BOTHER: INSTEAD BUY WHAT SHOULD HAVE WON THE TONY - EITHER TABOO OR WICKED!
  
  
• Funny, Original, Funny, Sweet, Funny, Touching and FUNNY!
  By A1P6CTO5KV3PNF on 2003-10-22
  This is, without a doubt, the best Broadway cast recording (and best Broadway show) I've ever heard (or seen)!!! The songs are very intelligently written and are full of great observations about the world, but without being pedantic. The whole concept of a show strictly for adults addressing very adult topics in the format of children's television is brilliant! My only problem is the funny looks I get as I walk around my law office singing such lyrics as "everyone's a little bit racist sometimes, it doesn't mean we go around committing hate crimes..." I got some REALLY weird looks singing about the internet being for porn. I took EVERYONE who gave me a funny look and let them listen for a while, and EVERY ONE of them really enjoyed the music! I don't understand those that posted the negative reviews below, ESPECIALLY with the reference to South Park. If you check Mapquest you'll see - Avenue Q is about a thousand miles away from South Park!
  
  
• 1 star is being kind!
  By on 2004-06-07
  This musical is pointless!! It is a horrible musical revolving around puppets! LAME!!!! It is a wast of money! I Broke mine in half in disgust!
  
  
• Hooked to musical theater now!
  By on 2004-06-23
  I just got back from New York and I saw both Wicked and Avenue Q on Broadway. They were so amazing, fresh and different. I hadn't seen a musical in years after being so disappointed by Cats on Broadway, (I could actually see some of them lip sinking) that turned me off. But now I am fired up about musical theater again. So much so that I bought myself singing Lesson Cds- Voice Lessons To Go by Vaccarino , so that I could justly sing along with my new Musical CDs. Hey if only a was a few years younger I would consider going for those broadway lights myself. Even to be in the choruses of these productions must be awesome.
  
  
• Extremely Well Done
  By A35XBLOD0MB1M0 on 2005-08-08
  Sesame Street style puppets + adult themes = a great Broadway musical! This entire musical is entirely hilarious, never a dull moment, although it has moments of gross-out humor, so not for the uptight people who snub those kinds of things. And don't forget the show's constant mocking of Gary Coleman
  
  Five Best Tracks
  
  It Sucks To Be Me
  Everyone's A Little Bit Racist
  You Can Be As Loud As The Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love)
  If You Were Gay
  Schadenfreude
  
  
• Letter Grade: Q
  By on 2004-06-07
  I'm basing my review on both the CD and having seen the show. The performers have a great deal of energy and talent and some of the lyrics are very clever. However, I find nothing memorable about the music. The CD and show start with some good lessons in life expressed in a comical way, but in my opinion it's unnecessary to move into offensive topics and lyrics to get this across. Maybe I'm old-fashioned but I prefer songs that both my children and parents can listen to. On a grading scale from A (the best) to Z, I give this a Q.
  
  
• to the person below who said it's "horrible & disgusting"-
  By A3FQ9SQNSCB1RN on 2005-05-19
  "horrible and disgusting"?! this has got to be the funniest thing I've ever heard! Avenue Q is a riot. if you've ever seen this musical on Broadway, you've seen 850 people all around you laughing their heads off and falling out of their seats laughing. There's a reason this cd has an average (AVERAGE!) Amazon customer review of 4-1/2 stars, and there's an extremely good reason it won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical (!!!), the 2004 Tony Award for best Score, and the 2004 Tony Award for Best Book of a musical. The person who said "(excuse me, I don't even consider it a musical)" is obviously just a moron. Is that why it's sold out on Broadway so much that you can't even get a ticket? Almost everyone I know loves Avenue Q and has the album on their ipods because it's hilarious and touching and very human (despite the puppets) all at the same time. Perhaps as you say, "any civilized person would not listen to such garbage" but then I guess I'd never want to be one of those civilized people you're referring to. Boy am I glad I'm not living in your world. You're missing the joke that the rest of us are having a great time enjoying... It sucks to be you. :) Avenue Q rocks.
  
  
• It sucks to be me....
  By A2YC5Y2ABK0MJZ on 2003-10-18
  If you're the people of person who laughs for hours at the thought of the Sesame Street characters having sex. Then this is the cast album for you.

  If like me, you chuckle for a few seconds at the thought and move on, then this show is torture. It feels like a few standard jokes stretched over numerous songs. Pretty much everything this show says could be done better, funnier, more satrical and way more sharper in one song on the Simpsons.

  If it takes a creative genius to think of Bert and Ernie's relationship as more than platonic, then every person I know is a genius -- gay activist and psycho redneck alike.

  The Internet is for Porn? True, I know a lot of people who use it that way. But the all the wit of this song is in the title. It doesn't explore anything beyond the initial joke.

  It's the kind of navel-gazing, jokey, self-obsessed, ironic pseudo-martyrdom that's typical of my generation. I'm sure that Princeton is a "Mary Sue" -- an idealized version of one of the creators. I don't see a speck of honest self-examination. The average Seinfeld episode is more probing.

  It sucks to be me? [Heck], I've been an unemployed graduate with a tonne of kooky friends and I sure as [heck]would rather be that than living through the Great Depression, the Black Death or anything else.

  The show is a gimmick from start to finish. Save your pennies and buy a Simpsons album. Their songs are a whole lot cleverer and stand up much better on repeat listening.
  
  

• This makes me sick
  By AXIY4AGDQ7GL1 on 2005-04-16
  Watching the 2004 Tony Awards, I have to say I was whole-heartedly rooting for "Wicked" to win best musical...and still think that it completely deserved it. But seeing that Avenue Q won, I thought it must have been completely amazing to win over Wicked. And after listening to the recording, I was perfectly appaled at the shallowness, profanity, and degrading nature of Avenue Q. I am a firm believer in the power of theatre, but Avenue Q really upset me. It doesn't tug at any heart strings, it doesn't inspire any emotions, and really isn't humorous unless you enjoy things like puppet sex, porn, homosexuality, and all those wonderful things. I would've given it zero stars, but it wouldn't let me.
  
  
• Like no other musical ever written
  By A221LU174ZM8TE on 2003-10-08
  I've seen Avenue Q twice now, and I'm amazed at the talent both on the stage and in the actor's voices. The show is written brilliantly with one hilarious song after another. It's a shame the song titles give away the humor of each track, like "The Internet Is For Porn" and "The More You Love Someone The More You Want To Kill Him". The character playing Christmas Eve has a beautifully classically trained voice yet adds the stereotypical Asian-American accent to it to keep you rolling in the aisles.

  John Tartaglia has a very familiar, friendly voice as "Princeton" and does a hysterical "Rod" - the gay wall street type. Stephanie D'Abbruzzio (spelling?) is a sweet lead for "Kate Monster" and you'll be amazed how different she sounds for the sultry "Lucy T. Slut".

  These songs are so hysterical - they bring tears to your eyes, and it's really a refreshing soundtrack to add to all the schmaltzy broadway CDs that are out there!
  
  

• The hardest I've laughed in a long time!
  By A2Y2GUU8NWPFV2 on 2003-10-11
  I didn't know what to expect when I went to this show. It's muppets for adults, but very clever, very creative, and above all . . . very funny! The songs from the show are incredibly apropos and relevant to these modern times. I laughed from start to finish. I recommend the show and the CD highly.
  
  
• "Avenue Q" is a hit on Broadway as well as in your heart
  By A2WPAUTK46SQ31 on 2004-12-16
  When I first heard of "Avenue Q" during Tony Awards, I laughed through almost all of their performance of "It Sucks to be Me." I found this hilarious new puppet show an object of my obsession, and, for my recent birthday, was ecstatic when I received it from my sister. I immediately ripped open the plastic wrap and listened to it and thought two things: it was some of the most beautiful music I had ever heard and I had to see that show. All of the songs spoke to me in different ways
  
  1) The Avenue Q Theme - This brilliant introduction to one of the best musicals I have ever heard is a perfect opener to what is an amazing show.
  
  2) What do you do with a BA in English?
  It Sucks to Be Me - "What" is one of those few songs that makes your throat shrink at the sound of it, kinda like every single Danny Elfman song. Its singing, by John Tartaglia, is nothing short of breathtaking. "It" is not only hilarious, but a brilliant song, particularly when Kate Monster, Brian, Nicky, and Rod sing "Da da da da da..." and are in perfect harmony.
  
  3) If You Were Gay - When I first heard this song, I despised it, but after a few listens it was a perfect song that sticks in your head forever. It is hilarious and heartwarming and is the first introduction that, despite its puppets, this show is not for young children.
  
  4) Purpose - Only "Avenue Q" could get away with singing boxes. This concept could only work in a musical with puppets, but would just be stupid in any other.
  
  5) Everyone's A Little Bit Racist - This song made my father, who originally thought this CD was bad, laugh at the lyric "Everyone's a little bit racist sometimes/Doesn't mean we go around committing hate crimes" and was the first realization of my famioy that this musical could have potential. I, on the other hand, knew it from watching it on the Tonys.
  
  6) The Internet is for Porn - I didn't know that! Maybe I shouldn't be writing stupid reviews like this one.
  
  7) Mix Tape - This simple yet heartwarming song is completely worth not hitting the next track button on your CD player and makes you think about odd songs like "I am the Walrus" and realize that they don't mean anything.
  
  8) I'm not Wearing Underwear Today - This imperfection, this mediocre song (or maybe I just think so because the other songs are amazing) is too short. Perhaps it would be better if it were longer, but it does set up the next song well.
  
  9) Special - This song, sung by Lucy the [...], has a good laugh moment every line. Just listen to it and you will understand me.
  
  10) You Can Be As Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love) - this tune is hilarious and catchy, as I often find myself singing it in the worst situations (for example, at school or church).
  
  11) Fantasies Come True - the dialogue preceding this song is stupid, but this song is beautiful and makes me realize how great life is.
  
  12) My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada - This song is not just outrageously hilarious, but also very true; don't we all have girlfriends who live in Canada, fake creations to prove others wrong?
  
  13) There's a Fine, Fine Line - When I told this girl I couldn't be her boyfriend, this song immmediately played in my head, as if she were truly singing it to me. This song is beautiful and worth the price of the CD itself.
  
  14) There is LIfe Outside Your Apartment - This song shows great character development in almost all of the Avenue Q residents and is worth listening to every 5 minutes.
  
  15) The More You Ruv Someone - This ballad by Christmas Eve is brilliant because it reminds me of how people ask others for advice, most often concerning intimate matters such as relationships.
  
  16) Schadenfreude - After "It Sucks to be Me," this was the first "Avenue Q" song I heard. It made me laugh for about 5 minutes, especially Natalie Venetia Belcon's brilliant parody of Gary Coleman.
  
  17) I Wish I Could Go BAck to College - This song makes me think of "Rent." That is all i have to say.
  
  18) The Money Song - is hilarious because it deals with the embarrassment of people knowing you just disposed of something somebody gave you.
  
  19) SChool for Monsters
  The Money Song Reprise - "School" is my favorite part of this song because I love the line "But me no need me therapy if monster school a reality" because it reminds me of how overly dramatic "Beauty and the Beast" is.
  
  20) There's a Fine, Fine Line Reprise
  What Do You Do with a BA in English? Reprise - this song is nothing short of fabulous. "There's" is good because it is a short but beautiful love duet between Kate Monster and her Princeton. "What" is good because I think it mocks how in every musical after somebody overcomes a conflict, there is always a newcomer with the same problem.
  
  21) For Now - This is to the tune of "It Sucks to be Me" but with different, less repetitive lyrics.
  
  I hope you enjoyed reading this review because it should be known how wonderful "Avenue Q" is.
  
  
• Whooo Hoo for Avenue Q!
  By A1849D4LNGVCAX on 2005-02-11
  Call it spite, but I felt the need the post a review after reading one pointedly IGNORANT review on the show. As a theater PROFESSIONAL, I must say that Avenue Q was one of the most refreshing pieces of theater to come along in a really long time. It was the theatrical little engine that could, chugging all the way from the itty bitty Vineyard Theatre Off-off broadway, all the way to broadway and taking the Gold at the Tonys.
  Sure I love Wicked-especially now since Shoshana Bean is in it (go see HER), but it wasn't organically grown like Ave.Q was. Sure, most of us can relate to the green girl on some level or another, but the paraplegics and munchkins were a bit of a stretch occasionally. Addressing racism, and poverty, and homophobia and city life and feeling lost in the great big scary world is a valiant and important, and *gasp* morally correct artistic statement. America, the World, and life in general are full of these things. Art is a direct imitation of life and even though Avenue Q stars Puupets, it's the show's grounding in reality that makes it so special and moving.
  My mother always used to say to me: "Baby, if you don't know what you're talking about, shut the hell up and go sit down." Everyone's opinion is valid, in the greater sense of the term, But the slamming of this show by people who consider "Phantom and "Les Mis" 'Real theater' (btw, Ave Q. and Phantom NEVER played in the same theater, and Les Mis is deservedly closed)is sad and scary. It just goes to show you that we've been enundated with slickly marketed garbage passed off as 'theater' for much too long, and it's one more reason to celebrate the spirit and INTEGRITY of a show like Avenue Q.
  
  
• big let down
  By on 2004-04-22
  After reading all the top reviews this soundtrack recieved, I was sure I was in for a treat. I just needed to share the fact that it's not universally liked. All of the songs sound similar and it frankly gets a little boring after a while. The lyrics aren't as cutting edge as I thought they would be. I did chuckle a few times, but overall I wasn't as amused as I was lead to believe I would be. This soundtrack should NOT be compared to Rent, as it is not even in the same leauge. The only similarity to Rent is that they are both broadway musicals and both take place in New York city. I'm sure the live show is spectacular, but I am sorry I bought the soundtrack.
  
  
• "What do you do with a BA in English?"
  By A3JQZ4VTQQLIP on 2004-07-29
  Hysterical and touching, this show has done something very special to the traditional Broadway scene. Made up partially by puppets in a twisted Sesame Street theme (indeed, most of the puppeteers at one point worked for Henson on various projects), this is a show that you will not forget anytime soon.
  
  It's difficult to ignore how fantastically structured and written this show is. Vocal harmonies are tight and brilliantly performed, the music is light and appropriate for its themes, and the lyrics are just plain fantastic- filled with dirty jokes and a biting sense of humor that sets this musical on the right track.
  
  Even before we had finished college my friends and I got choked up listening to the ballad "I wish I could go back to college" during which the characters fondly remember living in a comfortable dorm and having a meal plan.
  
  Avenue Q is not for the faint of heart, and it's not for everyone, which is why so many people were disappointed when it won Best Musical at the Tonys this year. I think, however, if you just give this quirky show a chance, you'll fall in love with it too.
  
  
• Not only for college graduates
  By A2M98L5415L0L3 on 2004-11-15
  Reading a few reviews, I see that many people think only youngish adults fresh out of college will appreciate this musical/ soundtrack. As a young woman of 15, I must disagree. Although some references to college life were over my head, I had a most enjoyable time at the show; there was plenty to laugh at that I understood. My friends and I listen to the soundtrack often and sing it under our breaths all over the place. (Can you tell we're geeky theatre people?)
  
  I recomend seeing this show and/or purchasing the soundtrack to anyone high-school aged or older who is willing to laugh at society and temporarily set aside political correctness.
  
  
• A Musical Disgrace =A Revised Review=
  By A1Y34Q15XST3I8 on 2005-01-01
  (for anyone who has read this before I revised it, I apologize if you were offended).
  
  No, I have not seen Avenue Q. But I'm not here to review the show, I'm here to review the score. Which I found mildly disturbing. I know "glorifying sin" sounds like such a cheesy phrase, but it's all I can say about this CD. I know a lot of people are really into this kind of "humor", but I know I'm not the only kind of person out there that it would bother.
  
  Okay, so puppets are an interesting (if not mis-leading) choice of actors for this show. Way to go, and way to win the Tony. I tried to change my number of stars from one to two, but it won't really let me do that. You see, while I personally hold no likening for the lyrics, I'm sure that everyone who loves the show (including the people who wrote it) do. Much work goes into writing entire lyrics for a Broadway show, so Kudos for going out and doing your thing. Really, good job. Lots of people out there think this a brilliant work of music writing. I'm just not one of them.
  
  So if you're one of those "prudish" people like me, I wouldn't suggest going out and listening to this. I thought it was a mistake. Blame me for having personal standards. But, unlike some of the other people who gave this show one star, I will not turn this review into an advertisement for Wicked.
  
  
• I hate most musicals, but...
  By AQAV2MDV5CGR2 on 2005-03-15
  ... listening to this soundtrack makes me wish that the Avenue Q cast dared do a show in Texas. An Avenue Q roadshow would be the coolest thing, just judging from the songs.
  
  The musical, in case you missed it, is essentially Sesame Street aimed at Generation X- the twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings of the big city, out of college and frustrated as hell that life STILL doesn't make sense. A mixture of Henson-like puppetry and live actors, and characters that charm, embarrass, and amuse the listener.
  
  The music... WOW. The orchestration is right out of the 70s and early 80s. If it weren't for the words (which don't carry nearly as much swearing as the EXPLICIT LYRICS warning might have you believe, though it is there), you could EASILY imagine the tunes being used on Sesame Street back in the days before it became the Elmo Show.
  
  Speaking of, there are two songs on this record which are dead-on PERFECT pastiches of Sesame Street education through song. Rod and Nicky- the show's Bert and Ernie equivalents- have a tour de force when Nicky reassures Rod that he'd still be his friend "IF YOU WERE GAY", much to Rod's consternation. Not long after, teacher's aide Kate Monster has her first solo lesson on the Internet ruined by the reclusive Trekkie Monster, who insists that THE INTERNET IS FOR PORN. Either song, by itself, is worth the rest of the album.
  
  Even without the spoken dialogue of the musical (and you can tell a lot's been left out, even without reading the liner notes), you quickly develop a rapport with the characters. Princeton's the liberal-arts major just out of college who thinks that, despite his useless B.A. IN ENGLISH, he'll change the world. Kate wants to open a school for monsters. Christmas Eve, possibly the most overplayed Japanese woman ever, is JUST A LITTLE BIT RACIST just like the other characters. And the building's super is Gary Coleman, who has a word or three to sing about SCHADENFREUDE, joy at the misery of others.
  
  Best of all, although the characters are obviously stuck in dead-end ruts, and IT SUCKS TO BE them, they still have the same hope and essential optimism that flavors Henson's works. They talk about relationships, infidelity, and sex, including a full-cast showstopper that claims YOU CAN BE AS LOUD AS THE HELL YOU WANT (When You're Making Love). They also sing about love, tolerance, helping others (and helping yourself). Even in the essential transience of time (the final song, FOR NOW, reprises the Avenue Q theme and IT SUCKS TO BE YOU with different lyrics), the characters find hope and reaffirmation. Life is cruel, hard, and it sucks, and people make mistakes, but nothing bad lasts forever, so focus on the good things when they come.
  
  Most musicals have pointless songs with forgettable contrived lyrics. Not so Avenue Q, whose songs touch the heart and mug the funny bone. Of course, the content is aimed at today's American culture, so even this excellence is only FOR NOW... so grab it while you can.
  
  And hope like hell for an Avenue Q road show.
  
  
• Not as creative as I hoped...
  By A1LJZWBVCB44RO on 2004-03-14
  I decided to purchase this CD after reading many of the reviews by Amazon customers. I did not find the musical as creative or ground-breaking as some. Don't get me wrong, I do not regret buying the CD and it will retain a well-deserved spot on my musical shelf. I did enjoy it and do recommend it to anyone interested. But I wouldn't say I "highly" recommend it.

  I was allured by the notion that it is Sesame Street from a twenty-something's point of view. I suppose it is that, but it is not as inventive as I had imagined it would be. Some of the points it makes are not so poignant as they were made out to be. For instance, "Everone's A Little Bit Racist" doesn't quite make the point as powerfully as one might hope. In addition, I don't find that tune as catchy or hummable (or funny) as many suggested. The message is generally a bit facile and the humor is a little immature.

  The songs are pretty well done overall. I think the standout tune is "There's a Fine, Fine Line." Very melodic and sweet. "I wish I Could Go Back to College" is also good and maybe more in line with what I expected from the musical as a whole.

  The musical is entertaining and worth having, but it's not one of the best in my opinion. It does have its humorous moments, but I was expecting more message. A musical doesn't have to have a grand point, but I thought from what I read this one might. It really doesn't.
  
  

• When the Truth Gets Ugly, Say It With A Puppet
  By A2SY2PROFXL9MQ on 2004-03-29
  Avenue Q is a musical that features actors on stage with puppets on their arm. Both people and Muppet/Crank Yanker style puppets interact in a story about low-scale apartment life for young adults. In this story, monsters and humans co-exist. It's all about figuring out what you want to do, and singing because you either don't know, or you're feeling a million miles away from any respectable goal.

  Set to Sesame Street-thumping beats, there are lessons on issues such as homosexual tolerance/acceptance and racism ("If You Were Gay" is sung to an in-the-closet gay puppet, and "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist" has the entire cast preaching about the humorous truths of racsim). While a teacher-to-be is preparing lesson plans to explain the educational purposes of the world wide web, her musical number becomes interrupted with "The Internet Is For Porn".

  This is one of the most creative musicals I've heard in a long time. I've never seen the play, but you don't need to in order to listen and know what's going on in the story. My broadway cds are few and I'm very finicky about plays, but Avenue Q went straight into my collection after the first few songs.
  
  

• Mind your P's and "Q"'s
  By on 2004-07-06
  I guess you must have to see this show in order to appreciate it, as it doesn't translate well to just the score. Personally I find the thought of muppets having sex rather disturbing. I enjoyed some of them like "The More You Ruv Someone", "Everyone's a little bit racist" and the amusing "The Internet Is For Porn." BUT this show just gets old after a while. I don't see how this could get an award for "Original" score. It's not original--it's based off "Sesame Street." Even the character's voices are nearly identical making it even more disturbing. If you want a better score (which should have won the Tony) that deals with homosexuality and other aspects of society check out Boy George's "Taboo." "Avenue Q" just is NOT worth the money. Sorry if I o ffended anyone who likes this show.
  
  
• Excellent and extremely funny
  By AKDXXW89ZLCJS on 2004-07-14
  I haven't seen the show but the CD and what I saw on this years Tonys was really funny and clever. And while I don't think it deserved all the Tonys it won I can see why it did win them.
  Avenue Q is something different and very surprising to those expectiong some kind of cutesy puppet show.
  Discussing and singing about issues like homesexuality, porn, racisism and love all with puppets is quite creative and very funny.
  I'd have to say the songs I like the most are:
  1.The Internet is For Porn
  2.If you were Gay
  3.Everyone's a little bit racist
  4.Fantasies come true

  Very clever and funny, but they aren't kidding when they say explicit lyrics....puppets having sex and some strong swearing is on this CD. The reason it doesn't get 5 stars is because the music is very repetative and many of the songs just don't seem to have much originality and get boring. Special and There is Life Outside Your Apartment being two of the most boring and reptetitve or pointless songs...
  
  

• A hilarious, if temporary, show
  By A227NXW2W6GTZX on 2005-07-04
  If you were to listen to a random song from this recording, odds are it would have several lyrics that would offend SOMEONE. However, if you appreciate that broad (and undeniably funny) sense of humor, then you'll get a kick out of Avenue Q.
  
  A show performed by puppets and touching on topics from homosexuality to internet pornography to being unsatisfied with a mediocre life could be just a novelty gag, and in a way, that's what Avenue Q is. After several listens, the once-catchy melodies and muffled-snort-inducing lyrics lose their appeal, and for this very reason I was disappointed in the show's victory over (in my opinion) the superior "Wicked" at the 2004 Tony Awards.
  
  However, the timely topics and overall irreverence definitely make Avenue Q worth a second look. Although it is often a very shallow musical, suprising emotion is shown in "There's A Fine, Fine Line," even if the final message of the show is that happiness and sadness fade, and the only thing that matters is death.
  
  Overall, Avenue Q is much more than it may seem at first, and is absolutely a good show. Since my initial infatuation, the CD has fallen to the back of my library, and is probably stuck beneath a seat in my car at the moment, but I dig it out every few weeks when I crave a little of the magical "It Sucks to Be Me." Take that as you wish.
  
  

• Wicked (2003 Original Broadway Cast)
• Monty Python's Spamalot (2005 Original Broadway Cast)
• Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
• Avenue Q
• Jersey Boys (2005 Original Broadway Cast Recording)