by Louw Mulder

Avenue Q… there’s actually so much to say about this production, currently on stage at the Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre. It’s a puppet show, but it’s an adult play, it’s a superbly composed musical, but it is also a presentation of the fact that South African Theatre is ready to take the next steps towards innovative, edgy and ground-breaking stagings.

Jaco van Rensburg and Wessel Odendaal of VR Theatrical, together with Kosie Smit, present this arrangement in association with Dalro, with the musical staging and direction handled by Timothy le Roux, who I thought outdid himself. Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx composed the music and lyrics for Avenue Q, which is based on the book by Jeff Whitty. As the show progresses, the clever tunes slowly swift your initial impression away from the one you entered the theatre with…

Leaving the theatre after the show, I had an idea of what the structure and theme of my review would be. The naughty bits, the catchy tunes of a very clever and well-composed score was still fresh in my mind. But as I reminisced the next day with pen and pad at the ready, the whole realisation of Avenue Q hit home!

The main attraction around Avenue Q, as would be rightfully created by the leading advertising campaigns and publicity views, are the puppets, the main attraction and stars of the show. We have Princeton, the graduate with a BA in English, Rod, the homosexual who himself still has to come to terms with his secret, and then there is Nicky, who is the messy slacker with a bit of a wild side. Adding to the edgy side, is Kate Monster and Lucy, both slightly promiscuous female characters who are in constant search of Princeton’s attention. In my layman’s opinion, I couldn’t find any fault with the visual presentation of the puppets, and compliments with huge respect goes to their creator, Kosie Smit, who breathed life into all 18 puppets featuring each night in this production. Smit, whose passion and love for this show spoke for itself during the build-up to the opening night, is also in charge of the Scenic design, which I thought was stunning.

Nowhere was it ever made a secret that the content of Avenue Q exceeds real edginess, and possibly wouldn’t be seen as appropriate for conservative people, or teens under the age of 16 for that matter. After seeing the show myself, the story of Avenue Q is powerful enough to manipulate anyone’s views on matters that play a part in the lives of each and every one of us. There are puppets having sex on stage, a fair share of swearing, and some will say inappropriate utterances that may offend a lot of diverse theatre goers. Be that as it may, all the profanity and full-frontal nudity is coming from the puppets, which I believe makes all of this more acceptable!

Modern day issues, current-day curveballs and everyday events, are all addressed in a very comic and uproarious fashion. It disguises the hurt and cold truths of life, with the healing power of laughter. I refer to issues such as unemployment, being homeless, losing one’s job and even the rejection of friends and loved ones. The internal struggle with one’s sexuality, and the battle of coming to terms with it, feature prominently in the story, with perfect fit. These are the themes of truths we all face daily, that surface above the whole mosaic of memories when thinking back to Avenue Q, as you are lefty with a final thought… “It’s only for Now!” And yes; Everyone on Avenue Q, are a little bit racist too…

I do believe that the powerful message, which was camouflaged by the magic of humour, was made as effective as it is, due to the production quality. I am totally uneducated and uninformed about the art-form of puppetry, that my enthusiastic raves about Avenue Q may be seen as disproportionate, but I am sure once any theatregoer sits back, let go and enjoy the show, they will be entranced by the same childlike fervour I experienced.

With an edgy and very sharp script, I found it to be effectively complimented by the lyrics of each song. Dawid Boverhoff, Avenue Q Musical Director, did a stellar job, which I think would honestly not have been this powerful without the contribution of the strong and impressive cast. I thought that all their performances were enhanced by their passion and eagerness for this new genre, supported by every unique puppet.

The strong voice of the very talented Ashleigh Harvey, is a definitive sound which I found to illustrate many of the stories’ emotions, which the expressionless puppets had to tell. Her natural style of acting, even though in the shadow of her doll, pulled through in such a perceptible form, that her character’s intended expressions were effortlessly transferred to her puppet.

Alongside Harvey, is Ryan Flynn, who manipulates the lead character, Princeton, as well as the closeted gay republican, Rod. Whether his puppetry techniques were according to academic techniques, I cannot say, but I thought he was amazing throughout both acts. What was totally enchanting for me, was the moment I realised that the personality of Flynn’s character, imperceptibly echoed through his puppet. As impressed as I was with this, so I can cite how I thought the sturdiness of Flynn’s performance somehow kept the rest of the cast on par, which I thought was key to their phenomenal ensemble performances,

The rest of the cast consist of Daniel Geddes, Nieke Lombard, Greame Wicks and Songezo Khumalo whom all, through their puppets and their associating characters, contributed in his or her own right to Avenue Q’s success. Among the craziness of the puppets, are the three real people. For me, the inclusion of human characters added a valuable balance between the deep-cutting themes of the script, and the human reality. Yamikani Mahaka-Phiri, Grant Towers, and the hilariously talented Rebecca Hartle, each played their roles with effortless talent.

If you give me only a half a chance, I will grab the opportunity and fill a few more pages about my raving thoughts on Avenue Q. Older theatre experts may say that my exaggerated praise for this production are excessive, and that I am turning a blind eye to its shortcomings, but I do believe my views are justified, as I experienced a total sense of entertainment, along with the excitement of this brand-new genre introduced to SA Theatre.

As a warning, do not ruin your own Avenue Q experience by watching online video’s of this show, because one, you need to see it live, secondly, this South African production is way better than all the ones online, and thirdly, The Internet’s for Porn..

Due to the gut-busting depth of the text, the complete essence of Avenue Q will be best experienced after seeing the show for the third time.  Avenue Q opens this Saturday, 19 May 2018, on stage of the Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre, and will run for a limited season. The show plays for 2 hours, 15 minutes, with a 20-minute interval. Parental guidance for younger patrons are advised, as Avenue Q carries an age restriction of 16.

Visit VR Theatrical’s Facebook page for more detail on the show times.

The post Avenue Q appeared first on Stage and Screen.

by Kosie Smit

If you told me three years ago that I would be building puppets for AVENUE Q, I would not have believed you and would have laughed nervously.

I have an extensive Scenic and Lighting background, and have been producing theatre for almost two decades. On the odd occasion I would agree to build creative elements for productions, but my knowledge of building puppets was very limited.

As a kid I built some puppets with Papier-mâché and they became my little actors in puppet shows. They were very basic.

When the opportunity arose for me to build AVENUE Q’s puppets, I grabbed it with both hands and tackled the challenge head on. I had to build 18 puppets from scratch and they not only had to conform to the director’s needs, but also had to be moulded on the character descriptions and personalities described in the script.

I did an in-depth study on Puppet Mechanics at the University of YouTube, and then started building enthusiastically. Every puppet is unique and has a particular personality. Each one also has its own unique problems when it comes too physically building them – but you fall in love with each one because you work so intimately with them.

I did not realise how long each puppet would take to construct. The process is incredibly time-consuming. From start to finish it can take up to 5 days to complete a single puppet. I am sure that with some practise it will get faster.

I had to create and construct unique patterns for each puppet. The patterns have to be cut out of felt and then hand-stitched. Foam is sculpted to create the different body parts.

There are 12 different puppet characters in the production but we have realised that it is too time-consuming to undress them quickly because of the mechanics and their build, so we had to build multiple sets to assist with quicker costume changes.

The puppets are made up of a combination of foam, fur, felt and fleece. All details, such as the eyes are handcrafted and the hair is made of faux fur or synthetic wigs.

Creating these little people was a daunting but exhilarating task. It was a vast learning curve for me, but I truly loved the process. I often get asked which puppet is my favourite, but I am unfortunately not able to tell as they all feel a little bit like my own children.

Avenue Q

Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre from 10 May 2018

Wednesdays – 20:00

Thursdays – 20:00

Fridays – 20:00

Saturdays – 16:00 and 20:00

Sundays – 15:00

Tickets range from R100 – R350 and are available through Computicket. Discounts are available for block bookings – contact Geraldine on geraldine@montetheatre.co.za for block booking discounts.

Click here to read more about the Human Cast of Avenue Q!

[box type=”warning” align=”alignright” ] [dropcap]PG16[/dropcap]

Er, well, this is where it gets a bit fuzzy. If your teenager is mature enough to see a musical about issues such as sex, drinking, and surfing the web for porn, then they’ll probably love AVENUE Q too! Only you can judge. It’s hard to say what exact age is right to see AVENUE Q – parents should use their discretion based on the maturity level of their children. But we promise you this – if you do bring your teenagers to AVENUE Q – they’ll think you’re really cool![/box]

The post Avenue Q: Creating the Puppets with Kosie Smit appeared first on Stage and Screen.

In 2004, on Broadway, against all the odds, a little show called Avenue Q snatched 3 Tony Awards for Best Book, Best Score and Best Musical from a monster hit, Wicket. This year, VR Theatrical and Kosie Smit are proud to present that triple Tony Winner to Johannesburg Audiences.

The Broadway production was described as ‘equal parts puppetry, comedy and catchy tunes’. Avenue Q is a laugh-out-loud comedy musical that tells the timeless story of a recent college grad named Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. He soon discovers that although the residents seem nice, it is clear that this is not your ordinary neighbourhood. Together, Princeton and his new-found friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life.

The South African premiere will be Directed and Choreographed by Timothy le Roux, with Musical Direction by Dawid Boverhoff. Kosie Smit is tasked with Puppet Creation as well as Scenic Design. Lighting Design is by Oliver Hauser.

Le Roux said: “The all South African cast were put through their paces at auditions late last year. In musical theatre jargon the term ‘triple threat’ is often used to describe a person who is good at acting, singing and dancing. What makes this piece of theatre unique is that it includes all that – plus puppetry skills, which requires intensive training for our actors.”

The cast features stellar performers: Ashleigh Harvey as Kate Monster/Lucy, Clive Gilson as Princeton/Rod, Daniel Geddes as Nicky/Trekkie Monster, Grant Towers as Brian, Yamikani Mahaka-Phiri as Gary Coleman, Rebecca Hartle as Christmas Eve, Nieke Lombard as Bad Idea Bear, Graeme Wicks as Bad Idea Bear and Songezo Khumalo will fulfill various Understudy Roles.

Avenue Q is special in that the actors operate the puppets in full view of the audience, using both their hands while singing, acting and dancing. AVENUE Q contains scenes which may be unsuitable for children under 16. Children under 5 will not be admitted.

Avenue Q

Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre from 10 May 2018

Wednesdays – 20:00

Thursdays – 20:00

Fridays – 20:00

Saturdays – 16:00 and 20:00

Sundays – 15:00

Tickets range from R100 – R350 and are available through Computicket. Discounts are available for block bookings – contact Geraldine on geraldine@montetheatre.co.za for block booking discounts.

[box type=”warning” align=”alignright” ] [dropcap]PG16[/dropcap]

Er, well, this is where it gets a bit fuzzy. If your teenager is mature enough to see a musical about issues such as sex, drinking, and surfing the web for porn, then they’ll probably love AVENUE Q too! Only you can judge. It’s hard to say what exact age is right to see AVENUE Q – parents should use their discretion based on the maturity level of their children. But we promise you this – if you do bring your teenagers to AVENUE Q – they’ll think you’re really cool![/box]

The post Avenue Q appeared first on Stage and Screen.