Spread the Fuzz on Avenue Q Manila Philippines
Just before the Avenue Q Manila press con was about to start, lead star Rachel Alejandro mused, “What do we say to the press when they ask what Avenue Q is all about?”
Theatre thespian Joel Trinidad observed, “Whenever I tell people that Avenue Q is like a subversive version of (that well-known children’s show), they don’t get it, so I don’t think it does the show justice.”
So what makes Avenue Q so special?
The Ground Breaking Avenue Q Puppets The win of Avenue Q as Best Musical in the 2004 Tonys was surrounded by strong averse opinion as it ran against the immensely popular Wicked.
But it cannot be denied that the use of puppets was brilliantly foolhardy. It ran the risk of breaking basic fundamental rules, both in the theatre and puppet worlds.
The widely held rule of the puppeteer not being seen is broken as the actor cum puppeteer walks onstage with the puppet. Although this is done in some puppet traditions, the puppeteer is usually hidden wholly in black from head to foot, rendering him “invisible.”
In Avenue Q, not only will the puppeteer appear with the puppet, but will act alongside it. Felix Rivera, who will alternately play Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q Manila, ruefully reported that he had a very challenging time coordinating his and the puppet’s movements.
Joel Trinidad fervently agreed and gave the example that something as simple as holding up his and the puppet’s finger at the same moment took him some time to master.
The Witty Irreverent Avenue Q Lyrics Rachel Alejandro remarked that the only thing not really discussed in Avenue Q is religion, although Joel Trinidad pointed out that a couple of lines do poke fun at some of the popular belief systems (some of them spouted by well known celebrities).
Couple the witty irreverent lyrics with certain liberties afforded to puppets, and you’ll have moments of side splitting laughter mixed with winces of recognition as you hear that the Internet is for Porn, or Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist or being afflicted with Schadenfreude (German word for happiness at the misfortune of others).
The Deceptive Music Joel Trinidad revealed that he had the impression that learning the Avenue Q music would be a snap since the melodies seemed so simple and friendly to the ear. He was in for a rude awakening.
Felix Rivera explained that although the solos can be tricky, they are not as complex and intricate as the harmonies that the alternating back up musical theatre actors have to learn.
To hear clips of the Avenue Q songs, please click on the Avenue Q website
The Avenue Q Creative Team Helping out the seven member Avenue Q cast with the puppetry work are Puppet Designers and Executioners (based on Rick Lyons original Broadway designs) Samuel Fuentes and Marvin Choa, while Manman Angsico provides the vocal coaching with Jojo Malferrari imparting musical direction (Original Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx).
Qmmunity Spread the Fuzz I hope you’re intrigued enough to join other audience members at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Plaza (Sen. Gil Puyat corner Ayala), especially on 15 September 2007 2pm (the show that we bought).
Meanwhile, I enjoin the Qmmunity to Spread the Fuzz (my own Avenue Q inspired phrase playing on the words buzz and fuzz)!!!
Related Posts
Avenue Q Manila FAQs
Meet the Cast of Avenue Q Manila
Avenue Q Manila The Asian Premiere
Avenue Q Manila and the Straight Male
GMA 7 Encantadia Imaw Trivia (Part 2)
hi bachelor girl!
blogged about AVENUE Q, abd!
spammed all my yahoogroups with it “,
i borrowed the pictures from your site,
i hope you don’t mind.
thanks again for a most excellent evening!
spanx!
a.k.a. manila boy
p.s. what’s your real name?
anton introduced you by your blog name.
hahaha!
Hi Spanx,
I read your witty and amusing post about Avenue Q and just loved it!
You’re welcome, and thank you, from my partners and I, for being so suppotive of this endeavor.
BTW, I’m Lorna Lopez aka TheBachelorGirl
im a big fan of Avenue Q…kasi i love parody skits. and non-wholesome entertainment.
just want to know sana kelan next shows..its sept 9 na ngyn.
got tix for the sept 23 show, can’t wait to see it. would love to see it sooner, but only the sept 23 show fits the sched. haven’t had enough of “it sucks to be me” and “fantasies come true”. you think they would sell the coffee table book at RCBC?
Hi Owen,
When we dropped by last Sunday 09 Sept 07, Atlantis was selling Php 150 pink shirts with two slogans based on famous lines from Avenue Q: one says, It Sucks to Be Me, while the other says, Yeah They’re Real.
They were also selling pin buttons of Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut. No sign of the coffee book, but we’ll ask about it. However, I think you’ll have a better chance if you pre-order the coffee book from the bookstores.
Hi Lorna!
Romina here (from BMW!)! Just wanted to say it was lovely to meet you and my goodness, you guys rock!
I enjoyed Avenue Q sooo much!
Poking fun at social issues and taboos is light-heartening way of cheering up, harharhar.
Hi Romina,
Thanks again for going and writing a comment here at my blog. I’m glad you had an excellent time.
Till next time,
Lorna