The puppetry, acting and singing were spot on in MAD Theatre’s August production of the Broadway hit Avenue Q, and the intimate setting of the Straz Center’s Shimberg Playhouse made the audience feel part of the show (especially when the puppets begged us for money). MAD’s naughty puppets and their very human issues led to nightly standing ovations. If you missed it, it sucks to be you. (Inside joke.) madtheatre.com.

This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2012.

Freelance contributor Stephanie Powers started her media career as an Editorial Assistant long ago when the Tampa Bay Times was still called the St. Petersburg Times. After stints in Chicago and Los Angeles,...