 
|
|
Audio CD
Publisher: RCA Victor Broadway
Format: Cast Recording, Explicit Lyrics
AVENUE Q is a musical that has been running on Broadway since 2003 and is currently the 25th longest running musical in Broadway history and it has won 3 Tony Awards including BEST MUSICAL. The show is largely inspired by (and in the style of) Sesame Street.for adults. Most of the characters are puppets (operated by actors onstage). The characters use profanity and the songs concern adult themes. AVENUE Q is the story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who comes to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. He soon discovers that the only neighborhood in his price range is Avenue Q; still, the neighbors seem nice. There's Brian the out-of-work comedian and his therapist fiance‚ Christmas Eve; Nicky the good-hearted slacker and his roommate Rod -- a Republican investment banker who seems to have some sort of secret; an Internet addict called Trekkie Monster; and a very cute kindergarten teaching assistant named Kate. And would you believe the building's superintendent is Gary Coleman?!? (Yes, that Gary Coleman.) Together, Princeton and his newfound friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life.
Avenue Q will only fuel the frustration of those who think that Broadway has given up on sophisticated entertainment geared to adults. "Whatever happened to Cole Porter's witty rhymes and mature subject matter?" they'll say. Well, it's hard to deny that Avenue Q's main frame of reference is Sesame Street and that its humor can be very broad--yes, there's profanity and puppet sex. But the show also displays heart ("The More You Ruv Someone" typically begins with "Why can't people get along?") and a pretty satisfying zany streak. Musically, the score is rooted in 1970s pop, with nods to the aforementioned Sesame Street. The excellent cast, dominated by John Tartaglia and Stephanie D'Abruzzo, does it justice, milking the humorous numbers for all they're worth and finding pathos in the more straightforward ones. Not bad for a childish show. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
| Customer Reviews: |
|
| |
| Wonderful! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
 |
|
Original Broadway cast on the CD. Saw the musical in So. Cal. and wanted the CD. The quality of the recording is up to par and we love listening to it.
|
| Brilliant production, if you know the story. |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
I bought this CD at the touring show, which I saw twice last week.
Brilliant. Funny and touching.
Certainly not for kids, and if you've not SEEN it you may have a have a hard time understanding it. People younger than 30 may not be old enough to appreciate it. People born before 1960 may not grok all of the cultural references intended for the "Sesame Street Generation", depending on their experience. A lot of people who hate the show simply don't understand it.
The general plot line is people in a Sesame-Street like world facing reality in the decade after they graduated college. Some, like Princeton, are fresh out of school and think they're ready to take on the world, and discover they still have a lot to learn. Others have a good career and seem successful, but are miserable inside because they are living a lie.
Kate is naive and idealistic. She finally thinks she's finally found a boyfriend she's wants for a long-term relationship, only to have him be too immature to handle it.
Rod is dealing with his feelings and trying to admit to himself that he is homosexual. His friends are ready and supportive; the only one who is not okay with his feelings is Rod.
"Gary Coleman" is one of the few characters with his head totally screwed on. He's already been burned by life, and helps guide our cast to where they need to be.
Along the way, we meet Rod's love interest, Nicky who is straight, but wants nothing more than his gay friend to be happy. The absolute trash character Lucy The Slut comes in and messes up Princeton's life--something that he can do all by himself--but in the end gets her Cosmic Comeuppance. "Christmas Eve" is not a very good therapist, despite her Two Masters Degrees, but in the end she helps almost everyone. Even the internet pervert "Trekkie Monster" discovers there is a way he can help others, and in doing so kicks his need for therapy. The "Bad Idea Bears" help out as an adult parody of the sugary "Care Bears". They end up in a worse situation than anyone else.
In the end, a touching production. Bittersweet at times. Many, but not all, get what they want out of life. But they all learn that life--good and bad--is Only For Now.
|
| Funny and true! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
I bought this CD before ever seeing the play. All of the sounds are funny! My favorite being Everyone's a Little Bit Racsist (sometimes). This musical hits around the topics of just getting out of college and living on your own for the first time, being gay, single, jobless, homeless, ethnically challenged, and sex. It's an adult version of Sesame Street. Last year I was finally able to see the musical and it was even funnier in person seeing AND hearing it all.
Not for the faint of heart, children, or prude people.
|
| Your dollar spent = A laugh and a half |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
 |
|
A funny, witty and "cute" musical. By "cute" I mean that the you won't find anything particularly amazing or deep in this musical, but the child like tunes of the songs in Avenue Q have a way of sticking in your head. It isn't the most cleverly written musical around and is somewhat predictable and cheesey, but it is definetly a must have (if you are willing to accept the dirty nature of some of the songs!). :D
|
| Great if you are older than 17 and you can't get tickets to the musical |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
 |
|
I bought the cd for my daughter before we went to see the musical, to get an idea of what it was about. It is funny, and I don't recommend it for anyone under the age of 17, but it is funny.
|
The Avenue Q Theme - Company
What Do You Do with a B.A. in English? - John Tartaglia
It Sucks To Be Me - Jordan Gelber, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, John Tartaglia, Rick Lyon, Ann Harada, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jennifer Barnhart
If You Were Gay - Rick Lyon with John Tartaglia
Purpose - John Tartaglia & Company
Everyone's A Little Bit Racist - John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada
The Internet Is For Porn - Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Rick Lyon & the Guys
Mix Tape - Stephanie D'Abruzzo, John Tartaglia
I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today - Jordan Gelber with Ann Harada
Special - Stephanie D'Abruzzo with the Guys
You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love) - Natalie Venetia Belcon, Rick Lyon, Jennifer Barnhart & Ensemble with Stephanie D'Abruzzo, John Tartaglia, Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada
Come True - John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo with Rick Lyon
My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada - John Tartaglia
There's a Fine, Fine Line - Stephanie D'Abruzzo
There Is Life Outside Your Apartment - Jordan Gelber, John Tartaglia & Company
The More You Ruv Someone - Ann Harada, Stephanie D'Abruzzo
Schadenfreude - Natalie Venetia Belcon, Rick Lyon
I Wish I Could Go Back to College - Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Rick Lyon, John Tartaglia
The Money Song - Rick Lyon, John Tartaglia, Natalie Venetia Belcon with Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada, Jennifer Barnhart
School for Monsters/The Money Song (Reprise) - Rick Lyon & Company
There's A Fine, Fine Line (Reprise) - John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo with Ann Harada
What Do You Do With A B.A. In English? (Reprise) - Rick Lyon with Natalie Venetia Belcon, John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Jordan Gelber & Jennifer Barnhart
For Now - Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Jordan Gelber, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Ann Harada, Rick Lyon, John Tartaglia, Jennifer Barnhart
|
