You know how a person can supposedly learn all the things he needs in life from a simple children’s storybook? Or how the grandest of thoughts or the most complex of emotions can be conveyed via the simplest of words or gestures? Well, it seems that life’s nitty-gritty, its tumultuous nooks and crannies and all, are perfectly captured within a concept as radically out-of-the-box yet ingeniously simple as Atlantis’ recent staging of the Tony award-winning musical, Avenue Q.
Performed at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC, the musical combines Rent and Sesame Street as it makes use of puppets and monsters to stir things up in a not-so-wholesome way for Gary Coleman and the other tenants of Avenue Q. Evidently, it is also a social critique of the highs and lows that men face in their everyday lives, made more potent with the use of comedy that hits straight to the point. Purpose. Racism. Homosexuality. Joblessness. Internet Porn. How much realer can a musical with puppets get? The dialogue is uncensored and the imagery used is surreal but pretty damned relevant. On top of that, audiences are treated to a plethora of talent from the crème de la crème of Philippine theater, as well as well-executed technical genius from directors Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga.
Giving voice and personally to the puppets are singer and stage actress Rachel Alejandro, alternating as the lovelorn Kate Monster and crazy/sexy/cool Lucy T. Slut; and theater’s new “Golden Boy,” Felix Rivera alternating as the wide-eyed college graduate Princeton and closet Republican Rod. Joel Trinidad also handles the free-spirited Nickie, hungry-for-porn Trekkie Monster, and others while Teenee Chan assists as Mrs. T, Bad Idea Bear and others. For the human characters, Aiza Seguerra fills in the shoes of child star-turned-superintendent Gary Coleman, Rycharde Everley as dum-di-bum, commando-goin’ Brian, and Frenchie Dy as Brian’s eccentric fiancée and kooky, oriental therapist Christmas Eve.
Absolutely laudable are Felix, Joel and Rachel’s portrayal of various characters within the show and their split-second character shifts, comic precision and nuanced voice alterations within small margins of time, while showing the right amount of heart to make the puppets just as believable as the humans in the show. As Avenue Q progresses, audiences find themselves empathizing with the show’s inanimate puppets, reiterating the goal of show creators Robert Lopez and Jeff Marxto veer away from conventional ventriloquism associated with the use of puppetry.
The musical also features a hilarious assortment of tunes like It Sucks to Be Me, If You Were Gay, Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist, and The Internet is for Porn, for which the actors were all well-equipped in terms of vocals, collateral wit and comedy. Rachel’s Kate Monster is light and uplifting, eliciting appreciative sighs from audiences when the puppet sang Mix Tape, yet her Lucy also does a sultry turn with Special. Though Frenchie’s The More You Ruv Someone and other solos struggled a bit with the prerequisite of Christmas Eve’s Oriental accent, her commanding voice sailed through, as during her momentous win on 2004’s Star in a Million. Most surprising, though, was Aiza Suguerra and her praiseworthy portrayal of Gary Coleman. Having appeared in Atlantis’ previous staging of Rocky Horror Show among other theatrical endeavors, Aiza filled the stage with a wit and command as any stage veteran would have from among his or her own arsenal.
Sam Fuentes’ puppets are well-crafted and whimsical — my personal predilections lean toward Trekkie Monster and Joel and Teenee’s Bad Idea Bears — while Mio Infante’s set design paints the RCBC stage with a surrealism that complements the outlandish tenants of Q. The use of a television monitor featuring some hilarious animation for segue transitions also makes for a wonderful addition to the show’s unholy alliance of puppets and humans, hoisting this production of Avenue Q to an overall gratifying and visually memorable experience.
Although the run ended last Sept. 22, the show will thankfully be back in Manila to spread some holiday cheer from Dec. 14 to 23, 2007 at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater in RCBC Plaza, Makati. For ticket and schedule information, you may contact Atlantis Productions at 892-7078 or 840-1187.
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Catch your breath and let me know what you think at imcalledtoffee@mac.com.