I saw Avenue Q back in 2004 for the first time with the original cast and then again in 2005 with all original members with the exception of Barrett Foa as Princeton. Both times I saw it I was amazed. I really love this show. What I feel Avenue Q has that other shows do not is heart. It really has heart. Although it is pretty vulgar at times and politically incorrect (which I love) it has an excellent message and you feel good after seeing it. Other shows may be stronger and everyone show leaves you with certain feelings, I feel that Avenue Q is different.
I saw Avenue Q for the third time on Friday. Although there is one member of the original cast (Jennifer Barnhart) all of the others are now replacements. I have observed that shows lose a lot of spark when the original cast departs. I have seen this in shows such as Wicked and The Producers. I took my sister, who has not seen a Broadway show since Cats in the 1980’s. I felt that the show is easy to digest, funny and light. I personally was worried that I would not feel as strongly for the show because I would not be seeing the original cast.
I was WRONG! I felt like I was watching the show for the first time. The entire cast was excellent. Howie Michael Smith played Princeton and Rod in his Broadway debut and Sarah Stiles (who will be Joanne in the upcoming Broadway Musical Vanities) played Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut. I am still so happy to have seen the show again. I will say that it is probably one of my favorites. I did notice that they changed some of the staging and lyrics (specifically in “There is Life Outside Your Apartment”). The show is still so much fun, it’s not only topical, its real, people can relate to the characters and the theme of trying to find what they are supposed to do in life. If you have failed to see Avenue Q in the past I would recommend seeing it because you can not walk away from it smiling and the show is as strong as ever.