"I can make you feel special
When it sucks to be you.
Let me make you feel special
For an hour or two."
— Avenue Q
Well, we're not sure how we can make you feel, but if you give us an hour of your time, we can give you a special preview of the COMPACT BROADWAY pilot that was created at the request of National Public Radio.
For our pilot, we choose to spotlight a quirky musical that focuses on the little guy in today's society and addresses some of the issues they're faced with like dealing with unemployment, exploring porn on the Internet, living with prejudice, looking for meaning in life, struggling with sexuality and taking pleasure in the misfortune of others.
The company of Avenue Q
Photo: Carol Rosegg |
While any of these subjects could generate their own reality television series or an episode of Jerry Springer, they come together in Avenue Q, a new Broadway musical that tackles all of these topics and more with a humorous mixture of puppets, humans and no political correctness.
But just because there are puppets on stage, don't think that this is a kids show. Avenue Q is a New York neighborhood located in an outer, outer borough, where those who are down on their luck go when they can't afford anywhere else to live and its inhabitants are a comical assortment of people and puppets, all struggling to find their purpose.
Avenue Q is the brainchild of Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, a composer and lyricist team that met at New York's BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. And ever since the duo first conceived the idea for the show at the Workshop, Avenue Q has been the story of the little musical that could. The show opened Off-Broadway in New York at the Vineyard Theatre in March of 2003 and it when on to receive the 2003 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding New Musical. Just a few months later, Avenue Q made the move to Broadway and the show opened at the Golden Theatre on July 31, 2003. Its success story continued as Avenue Q surprised both critics and fans alike when it was the unexpected winner of Best Musical at the 2004 Tony Awards. In addition, writer Jeff Whittey won a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, while Lopez and Marx won for Best Original Score.
Our COMPACT BROADWAY pilot spotlighting Avenue Q is about the underdog and how sometimes, the underdog comes out on top.
The exterior of the Golden Theatre, Broadway home of Avenue Q |
Poster courtesy of the Friends of Avenue Q Committee to Win the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical |
As act one of our pilot begins, Avenue Q producers Robyn Goodman and Jeffrey Seller tell COMPACT BROADWAY host Douglas Young how the musical made its way from the BMI Workshop to Broadway and they discuss some of the controversies surrounding the show, ranging from the adult language and subject matter to their unprecedented campaign for the Tony Awards.
Correspondent Annie Lawrence with Christina Nuki outside the Golden Theatre |
Shifting the focus from the people pulling the puppet purse strings to the man behind the puppets, puppet designer and puppeteer Rick Lyon reveals his thought process for creating the felt inhabitants of Avenue Q and his inside joke about the character of Lucy T. Slut.
Correspondent Annie Lawrence brings the first half of our show to a close by visiting the Golden Theatre (the Broadway home of Avenue Q) to see how some last minute ticket buyers are hitting it big by taking a chance on the ticket lottery.
(L to R) Kate Monster, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Princeton and John Tartaglia
Photo: Carol Rosegg |
Our second act kicks off with performers Stephanie D'Abruzzo and John Tartaglia describing what it was like making their Broadway debuts with Avenue Q and picking up Tony nominations for their work. D'Abruzzo and Tartaglia also talk about some of the stereotypes attached to being a puppeteers and how Avenue Q has affected their careers.
Are musicals with puppets becoming a trend? That's the question correspondent Peter Royston examines as he takes a look at the history of puppetry and talks with Bart Roccoberton (director of the University of Connecticut's Puppet Arts Program) and Emily Lawson (puppet project manager for the national tour of Little Shop of Horrors).
Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez at the 2004 Tony Awards |
Finally, Avenue Q creators Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx join Douglas Young at Marx's Times Square apartment, where the Tony Award winning duo reminisce about meeting at the BMI Workshop, reflect on being underdogs and sit down at the piano to perform selections from the show.
If you would like to hear the COMPACT BROADWAY pilot spotlighting Avenue Q, you can access our pilot online. By clicking on one of the following links, you can either listen to segments of the pilot or you can hear Act One and Act Two in their entirety. In addition to interviews, our pilot also includes excerpts of songs from Avenue Q and a playlist follows the link in each section. Unless otherwise noted, the music is courtesy of the RCA Victor Original Broadway Cast Recording. All songs and audio clips are the property of their respective copyright holders.
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Act One (28:00)
Opening (2:21)
"Curtain Up!" (The Compact Broadway Theme) – Medley of "It Sucks To Be Me," "The Internet Is For Porn," "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist," "Purpose," "If You Were Gay" and "Schadenfreude" – "The Avenue Q Theme" – "It Sucks To Be Me"
Robyn Goodman and Jeffrey Seller segment (10:35)
"It Sucks To Be Me" - "Purpose" - "It Sucks To Be Me" (from the 2004 Tony Awards) - 2004 Tony Award Announcement for Best Musical Nominees (read by Eddie Falco) - "Rod's Dilemma" (courtesy of Friends of Avenue Q Committee to win the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical) – 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical (read by Nathan Lane) – "Viva Las Vegas" (performed by Elvis Presley)
Rick Lyon segment (6:28)
"The Money Song " (performed by John Coffey) - "There's A Fine, Fine Line " (cast recording, then performed by John Coffey) - "I Wish I Could Go Back To College" (cast recording, then performed by John Coffey) - "If You Were Gay" (cast recording, then performed by John Coffey) – "The Internet Is For Porn" (cast recording, then performed by John Coffey) - "Special" – "The Money Song " (cast recording, then performed by John Coffey)
Ticket Lottery segment (8:37)
"Purpose" (performed by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx)
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Act Two (32:00)
Stephanie D'Abruzzo and John Tartaglia segment (11:04)
"Curtain Up!" (The Compact Broadway Theme) - "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist" - "Mix Tape" - "What Do You Do With A B.A. In English?" - "Purpose" - "Fantasies Come True"
History of Puppetry segment (9:32)
"Circle Of Life" (from the Original Broadway Cast Recording The Lion King) - "I’ve Got No Strings" (from the Walt Disney film Pinocchio) - "Little Shop of Horrors" (from the New Broadway Cast Recording Little Shop of Horrors) – "Feed Me (Git It)" (from the New Broadway Cast Recording Little Shop of Horrors) – "Spider-Man" (from the cartoon series Spider-Man)
Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx segment (10:14)
"Off To Denver" (performed by Robert Lopez from Kermit, Prince of Denmark) – "I Wish I Could Go Back To College" (performed by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx) – "Tear It Up And Throw It Away" (performed by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx) - "For Now" (performed by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, then the cast recording)
Closing (1:09)
"For Now"
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If you experience any difficulties with the audio clips, please contact us at comments@compactbroadway.com.
Our pilot spotlighting Avenue Q is also available on CD. If you would like a copy, just tell us why you are interested in COMPACT BROADWAY and we will do our best to accommodate your request. Email us at pilot@compactbroadway.com and please include your mailing address along with your contact information.
If you have already heard our pilot, then we would like to hear from you! We encourage you to share your thoughts by taking part in our Avenue Q Survey. The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and you can begin by simply clicking on the Avenue Q logo.
Still want more of Avenue Q? Well, to paraphrase Trekkie Monster, why you think the 'net was born?
CD cover courtesy of the Friends of Avenue Q Committee to Win the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical |
First, check out the official Avenue Q site, where you can catch up on the latest Q news/events, order tickets or chat with other Q fans in the "Q-mmunity!" You can even see production photos, watch video clips from the show and listen to samples from the cast recording. On the sights and sounds section, you can also hear a full length version of "Rod’s Dilemma," the campaign song created by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx that was used by the Friends of Avenue Q Committee to Win the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical.
Speaking of music from the show, you can also visit the home page for the RCA Victor Original Broadway Cast Recording, which received a 2005 Grammy nomination for Best Musical Show Album.
(L to R) Rod, John Tartaglia, Nicky, Jennifer Barnhart & Rick Lyon. Photo: Carol Rosegg |
Want to keep up with the Avenue Q performers who appeared on our show? Well check out the official sites for John Tartaglia and Rick Lyon. And for all of you Stephanie D'Abruzzo fans, it’s true that she doesn’t have a site yet, but we hear she has one in the works!
Meanwhile, you can keep track of the Tony Award winning team of Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx at their official site and you can learn about the place where they met by visiting the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.
Kate Monster and Stephanie D'Abruzzo. Photo: Carol Rosegg |
Finally, if you are curious about puppetry or if you are interested
in other musicals with puppets, then here are some places to explore.
You can get information about the BFA, MFA and MA degrees in the Puppet
Arts Program at the University of Connecticut. As far as shows,
you have to start with The
Lion King, which is still wildly popular on Broadway and throughout
the world. You can also feed your curiosity about people-eating puppet
plants with Little Shop
of Horrors, currently in the midst of a national tour.
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