REVIEW

AVENUE Q at Malvern Theatres

AVENUE Q just went into my top three musicals at No 2 - nothing will ever replace Blood Brothers - but it's a close-run thing.

Witty and wise, crude and comical, the puppets who live on Avenue Q tackle some of the biggest issues with the lightest of touches and a score full of memorable and incisive songs.

The avenue is the place people end up when there's no place else to go - Princeton is fresh out of college ... and ideas, Kate Monster is desperate for a date, Rod the republican is determined to deny his own personal truth and Trekkie Monster is proof that some monsters are a teentsy bit more (and maybe less) monstrous than others. But in the midst of this disparate, diverse and daft collection of New Yorkers, there's love, loyalty and lessons to be learned from each other.

The triumph of the show is to take an unflinching look at the harsh realities of life, to admit that life isn't always a bed of roses, but still leave audiences feeling uplifted and optimistic. And that's because these puppets can say - and do! - things that might otherwise be unsayable and certainly undoable on stage!

But if the puppets are brilliant - and they are - that's down to a talented cast who are simultaneously working the puppets, singing and acting - perfectly choreographed and synchronised shadows of their characters. Sarah Harlington as Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut, Richard Lowe as Princeton and Rod and Stephen Arden as Nicky/Trekkie Monster and Bad Idea Bear were outstanding in what was, all round, an outstanding production. And if the challenges faced by the residents of Avenue Q are pretty universal, the truth they finally come up with has resonance for us all, too:

"Don't stress,

Relax,

Let life roll off your backs

Except for death and paying taxes,

Everything in life is only for now!"

If you’re feeling a bit down, this is a show to raise the spirits, make you laugh out loud and, best of all, confirm that we’re all in this together.

Avenue Q will be at Malvern Theatres until Saturday, October 17. To book, call the box office on 01684 892277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk