"It sucks to be me." We've all thought it at one time or another, and the Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q devotes an entire song to how much life sometimes bites the big one — but with enough clever wit to make us appreciate our less-than-perfect existences. This tongue-in-cheek musical with a mixed people-and-puppets cast (think Muppets Gone Wild) tells the story of Princeton, a recent college grad hoping to "find his purpose" (or at least a decent job) in the Big Apple. Instead, he finds a tiny apartment on Avenue Q and a group of friends with problems of their own, like Eve, an out-of-work therapist; Trekkie, a porn-obsessed puppet; and Kate, a smart-but-dateless teacher. Avenue Q tackles the characters' issues with candor and humor: standout numbers include "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist," "The Internet is for Porn" and "If You Were Gay." Don't let the presence of puppets fool you, though (or scare you away) — the show is a far cry from kid-friendly. Sex jokes, puppet nudity and inventive swearing abound, making Avenue Q a hilariously irreverent musical, socially relevant musical for grown-ups. April 1-6, 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Carol Morsani Hall, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, $32.50-$72.50, 813-229-7827, tbpac.org.
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2008.