GWSC | Avenue Q: School Edition

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Avenue Q: School Edition

A fresh new production by GWSC delivers everything that's crass and fun about "Avenue Q" – which is to say, all that makes it such a blast. Karl McNamara ably directs his fifty human actors to inhabit the puppet characters. The 30+ puppets have the right Henson look, while Amy Wert’s musical direction enliven the score and will have you whistling a happy tune.

Mr McNamara "chose to produce this musical because it provides an extra challenge for the students and it is the kind of show that both parents and students will find hilarious". The resulting show is loud, cheeky and insanely funny.

The storyline follows Princeton (Alex C.), a young college grad striking out on his own for the first time. He takes an apartment on the shabby Avenue Q, where he meets roommates Rod (Catriona C.) and Nicky (Sunny H.), internet-addicted Trekkie Monster (Tung N.), kind-hearted young kindergarten assistant Kate Monster (Antoinette D.), and the show's only non-puppet characters, the cheerful doofus Brian (Taylor P.) and his fiancée, Christmas Eve (Bi-Won L.).

While we at first tend to focus on the puppets as the story's characters, it's soon apparent that we're meant to see the actors operating and voicing the puppets as part of the mix. Each actor's facial expressions and body language are integral to making the concept work, augmenting the voices, words and movements of their respective puppet characters. Alex C., who took on the role of Mushu in last year’s "Mulan", has already experienced puppeteering onstage: "you have to be incredibly focused when using a puppet, our main job is to make the puppet look good and get the most out of them" he says.

Kristen C., who plays the role of Lucy, says "It has been a fun challenge to learn a new skill quickly and make the puppets look like real, living characters".

The students rehearse twice a week after school for two hours.

Antoinette D. uses a nasal, cartoony voice to express the bashful Kate’s modesty, with Kate’s shy attraction for Princeton mirrored by Alex C.’s puppet portrayal. Cat C.’s Rod is prissy and uptight, while Sunny H. uses a modified version of the familiar "Sesame Street" Kermit- or Ernie-like voices for Nicky.

Antoinette, a talented triple threat actress, makes her debut as one of the the main characters, Kate Monster. Antoinette has appeared on stage in the 2009 musical thriller "Sweeney Todd" with GWSC, and outside of school in a production of the musical "13". Director Karl McNamara says, "She is an enthusiastic and extremely talented drama student with an outstanding stage presence. We are so lucky to have this kind of performer at our school. I can't wait to see her and the rest of the cast shine on stage in July".

Musical Director Amy Wert has been working vigorously with the cast on the deceptively demanding score. "The musical's songs are comically spot-on, mixtures of satirical lyrics embedded in spoofs of familiar musical genres," she said. Most songs like "It Sucks To Be Me" and "My Social Life Is Online," are cheeky and irreverent, but songs like "Purpose" and "There's a Fine, Fine Line" adhere to musical theatre tradition by revealing the singer's innermost thoughts and feelings. The connotations and double entendres of the clever lyrics are anything but subtle. The more eccentric, the better – and the funnier!

Avenue Q: School Edition
Tuesday July 24th 7.30 pm
Wednesday July 25th 7.30pm
Thursday July 26th 7.30pm
Friday July 27th 7.30pm
Saturday July 28th 7.30pm
Where: Treseder Hall
How much: $15
Length: About two hours with and interval
Tickets: At the General Office or at the door