On Thursday, April 24, I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Spike Tape’s production of “Avenue Q” in WestCo Cafe, and the experience surpassed my lofty expectations. It’s no secret that I’m something of a University theater connoisseur, thanks, in part, to my role as Arts & Culture Editor at The Argus. Truthfully, while the vast array of live theater performances on this campus can be overwhelming, “Avenue Q” stands out in my memory as a singularly funny, exciting, and impressive production and likely will for years to come.
“Avenue Q” follows the misadventures of recent college graduate Princeton (Jack Bryan ’28) as he moves into an apartment on Avenue Q in New York City because, well, all apartments on Avenues A through P were too expensive. Desperate to find his purpose, Princeton gets to know his quirky neighbors, navigates a couple of tricky romances, and generally sings and dances his way through the hurdles of his first year of true independence. Anticipating my own graduation from this esteemed institution, watching Princeton and his friends laugh, argue, fumble, thrive, and lean on each other for support filled me with the tiniest seed of hope about what the next year of my life has to hold. Director Celeste McKenzie ’26 seemed to intuitively understand the potential impact of this story when planning to put it up this semester.
“I was initially going to pitch the show in [the] Fall [semester] but I decided to pursue another project instead,” McKenzie wrote in a message to The Argus. “Then November hit, and I was scrolling through a Reddit post where a user asked why ‘Caroline, Or Change’ (another awesome musical!) did not win Best Musical at the 2004 Tony’s, and then I saw someone explaining why the sociopolitical atmosphere was so integral to the success of Avenue Q. I felt that so deeply and I knew that the right time to do this show would be Spring. It was scary and beautiful and funny and amazing and quite possibly the best thing I have ever done.”
As someone who’s seen most of the live theater productions that have premiered at the University over the last year, I won’t hide the fact that I was enthusiastic about seeing another one of McKenzie’s shows after reviewing “How Black Mothers Say I Love You” last semester. Supported by an all-star leadership team—including stage manager Mik Hallward-Driemeier ’25 (who also served as stage manager for “How Black Mothers Say I Love You” as well as this semester’s “Dance Monkey, Dance”), assistant stage manager Andrea Herrera ’27, music director Kate Lyman ’26, and assistant music director Michel Morfaw ’27—“Avenue Q” highlighted McKenzie’s elevated directorial style, seamlessly blending the show’s more serious themes with its hysterically irreverent writing. McKenzie put in an enormous effort to balance the show’s playful approach with its rather complex themes, and it paid off remarkably.
“I think in the callbacks specifically, I was very clear about my vision for the show in that I wanted the funny moments to be funny and the serious moments to be serious,” McKenzie wrote. “Particularly in ‘Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist’ where [the characters] laugh at Christmas Eve’s accent and during the phone call scene where Mrs. Thistletwat tells Kate that she should have never ‘hired a Monster.’ Specifically in the former scene, I made sure that everyone knew that they were jerks for laughing and they should be aware of that as actors.”
McKenzie was particularly concerned about the portrayal of Christmas Eve, a Chinese character who speaks with a heavy accent, and collaborated with actor Natalie Kim ’28 and the show’s creative team to make sure that the character felt true to the script without playing into harmful stereotypes.
“The most difficult undertaking of this show was probably the Christmas Eve character as a whole, and I have to give so much credit to Natalie Kim (the actor who played Christmas Eve) for being such a wonderful collaborator,” McKenzie wrote. “The character looked very different than what was portrayed on Broadway, but it also felt infused with so much more love. Instead of a stereotypical route, we went with an ‘overly American’ look that we felt complemented the character more. Natalie also had a ton of ideas that they contributed to make sure we handled the character with care, and I’m not sure I would have done Christmas Eve justice without them.”
From the fun costumes (designed by Abigail Grauer ’27) and the playful lighting design (done by Sophie Brusini ’26 and Jules Feit ’28) to the lifelike props and set (designed by Lily Lewis ’27 and Cheyenne McLaskey ’26) and the rich sound design (by Kat Basilio ’27 and Megan Athey ’28), WestCo Cafe was transformed into a bustling city street for a few magical hours.
Like the show’s amazing creative direction, the cast’s performances were nothing short of stellar. The cast, made up of puppets controlled by actors (Princeton included) and human actors, gave laugh-out-loud line deliveries and singing performances so engaging that the audience at the show I attended clapped along for almost every number. Truthfully, dear readers, seeing this cast of actors whose talent I’ve witnessed in numerous productions over the years brought out the fangirl in me.
Lilah Steinberg ’25 and Julia Dima ’25, who played the mischievous Bad Idea Bears (and a slew of other characters), are stalwarts of campus theater and comedy communities and brought their trademark comedic gold to this production through some of the funniest character voices I have ever heard. Adam Wilan ’26 (whom I first saw in “The Masquerade” in the fall of 2022) and Conrad Lewis ’26 (who shone as Whizzer in last semester’s “Falsettos”) were equally hilarious and charming as best friends Nicky and Rod, bringing out raucous laughter and heartfelt “aww”s from the audience. Wilan also played Trekkie Monster, who makes it very clear in my favorite song from the show that the Internet is, first and foremost, for porn.
Aryia Banihashem-Ahmad ’28, another “Falsettos” alum, showed off her comedy chops in the role of Kate Monster, delivering potent emotional moments and blowing me into another dimension with her incredible vocals. Her performance of “There’s a Fine, Fine Line” at the end of Act I was the night’s showstopper, bringing me (and, I assume, the rest of the audience) to tears. Michael Scott ’28, formerly of “About Her,” played my favorite character in the show, Gary Coleman (yes, THAT Gary Coleman), who kept Princeton and the other Avenue Q residents in check with his wit and wisdom. I can’t recall a line Scott delivered that didn’t have me in stitches. Olivia Daigneault ’27, previously featured in “The Trail to Oregon,” delivered a surprisingly sexy puppet performance as Lucy the Slut, a cabaret singer who finds God by the end of Act II.
Zesun Hossain ’28—who gave my favorite performance in “The Picture of Dorian Gray” as Basil—played the cynical, struggling comedian Brian who struggles to meet the expectations of his fiancée Christmas Eve, a therapist with no clients played by Kim, who most recently played Carl in “Goodnight.” The pair bickered like an old married couple for the majority of the plot and still managed to keep me rooting for them through their distinct charisma and loving dynamic.
The one unfamiliar face to me in “Avenue Q” was Jack Bryan ’28 in the lead role, and let me tell you, he made quite the first impression. Not only did Bryan deliver flawless vocals and spot-on comedic timing, but his expressive performance as Princeton was the beating heart of the show, bringing the audience through the high highs and low lows of finding one’s footing as a real adult.
Of course, I’m not the only one singing this cast’s praises; McKenzie’s directorial decisions were guided by what this cast brought to the table during the rehearsal process.
“As a director, I think that I tend to be very narrow-minded in that I have a very specific vision that I want to be executed,” McKenzie wrote. “Boy, was I in for a ride with this one! Directing this show was really an exercise for me in letting my actors just go ham with the script and direction that they are giving. Oftentimes, their interpretations of the script did not align with mine but they were also 9 times out of 10 much better than what I was envisioning! Especially because this is a show I care a lot about, it was hard for me to let go of my grip on it but wow my team was the most talented group of people I have ever worked with and I quickly realized that this show would only succeed if I gave them the creative freedom that they needed to really thrive. And it was amazing!”
Folks, I’ve seen a lot of theater on this campus, but nothing quite like this. “Avenue Q” knocked my proverbial socks off in a uniquely funny, thrilling, and moving production, with the best (and only) puppet sex scene I’ve ever seen. McKenzie echoed the sentiments from the show’s final number, “For Now,” reflecting on the beauty of life’s fleeting nature.
“Ultimately, this is a show that I feel is important because of the moment in time that we are in,” McKenzie wrote. “In a real way, this show has helped me deal with political fatigue and the depression that I think many of us are facing as a result of the actions of this current administration. If there is one message I want anyone to take from this, it’s in the last song: everything in life is only for now. Ultimately, this will pass. Donald Trump will pass. All the good and bad things will pass and I guess that means we just have to take it all in right now. I am very scared, but that singular line in this show has provided me with a lot of the strength that I need to wake up in the morning ready to fight all over again.”
Sulan Bailey can be reached at sabailey@wesleyan.edu.
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