Finally getting a chance to post what I tried to post twice last night before I realized the board had crashed…
Avenue Jew, a benefit skit with the casts of Avenue Q and Fiddler on the Roof. It. Is. BRILLIANT!
Huh - somehow I must have stumbled across an old schedule as I definitely found one that listed it for late November through early December. But you’re right,
this link lists it in February 2009.
We’re a tad older than the target audience (as in we were a bit older than the target age when Sesame Street started), but our own kids loved it. And we’ve got warped senses of humor.
Avenue Q is one of my favorite shows. I found out they were going to be touring and found one of the cities near me on the list. I monitored the major theatre company in that town’s website for months waiting for them to announce their season. As soon as they did, I bought season tickets, mainly so I could guarantee myself good seats for Avenue Q. We also spread the word and about seven or eight other people bought tickets for the show because of us as well.
It was a lot of fun. The conversations between Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut were my favorite(they’re both voiced by the same person). I very nearly saw it twice in the one week it was in town, but we had plans to meet friends that night and I couldn’t blow them off, although I was sorely tempted.
About the show itself, the Bad Idea Bears are soo much funnier in person than it’s possible to imagine from reading about them in a show synopsis. Unfortunately we got the understudy for Christmas Eve on the performance we saw, she was a little weak. Otherwise the cast was very good. I was worried after seeing some of the videos from the London cast. On Broadway they had puppeteers originate the roles instead of actors. They really knew how to bring out the characters and to fade into the background themselves. Some of the clips I saw from London looked like actors with puppets on their arms, and I was afraid the touring show would suffer from the same fate. Luckily most of the cast we saw had trained with the original Broadway cast and they were very good puppeteers. My wife and I were extremely pleased with the show. Of the shows we’ve seen this season it’s probably our favorite, vying with Jersey Boys for the show we enjoyed most.
Enjoy,
Steven
Laughed uncontrollably throughout the internet song, then literally fell out of my seat at the final line. And as someone else mentioned, the Bad Idea Bears are excellent but difficult to describe in a way that matches the funny. You have to see it to believe it. The show is definitely worth it.
Wow, that really was brilliant. Thank you!
A little bit OT, but: there was a line in the bio of Jeff Marx (one of the co-writers of “Avenue Q”) on Wikipedia that mentioned that he is well-known for heckling other people’s shows that he doesn’t like:
(That line was coincidentally edited out of the article a few days ago because it didn’t have a citation – here’s the original link.)
That has always given me a REALLY bad feeling for the guy, and by extension (and perhaps unfairly – I’ve never seen it, though I’ve listened to the album) his show. I don’t want to rush to judgment if it’s not true, though – can anyone who is more Broadway savvy confirm whether or not Marx has this reputation?
Exactly. It’s all in the arm motion. If ever I need to make my partner smile or laugh, I just make those arm motions, and voila!
And I just can’t fathom how to do justice to the motions in severely inadequate text…
I’m mixed on my answer.
I’m 25.
I saw Avenue Q a few months back, just after getting my Bachelors.
That being said. For my life right now, it was EXACTLY what I needed to see, EXACTLY when I needed to see it. (Not quite a B.A. in English, but, with the state of the US economy and job market right now… at least I know this wont last for long.)
Friends of mine called me up, and told me they had an extra ticket, with 2 days warning. I wanted to see it, and I knew that if I didnt go then, I would probably never ever get to see the show. Sight unseen, I would not have paid 45 bucks or so for it, that my seat cost, but I did pay my friend 30 bucks for the ticket anyway.
My Situation was such that I think I got the maximum mileage I could.
The show is not for everyone, and I saw a much older couple leave (for good) durring intermission.
My final WAG for you :: If You are a SDMB member, you will like AQ.
((A Generalization, but, I think we are somewhat more in common than not here.))
I know someone who took her 25 year old son to NYC and got tickets to Avenue Q…
The son was adamant that he was NOT going to see “a musical”, probably picturing something like Ethyl Merman or Liza Minnelli. But the Mother was equally insistent, having been to AQ and knowing how hip and funny it was. Eventually the mom won after a bitter battle and the sullen son went the show.
He was trying to be as pissed off as possible, but about 3 minutes in he cracked and had to laugh. Long story short: he loved it and has since gone to other shows, both comedies and pure musicals.
I saw it in DC back when it last passed through.
Thank you for letting me know it will be back; I will be getting tickets if I can!
And if you are wondering - that means I loved it. My favorite definitely was the bad idea bears.
Susan
Nothing lasts,
Life goes on,
Full of surprises.
You’ll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes.
You’re going to have to make a few compromises…
Right now…
Right now…
But only for now! (For now)
Only for now! (For now)
Only for now! (For now)
Only for now!
Don’t stress,
Relax,
Let life roll off your backs
Except for death and paying taxes,
Everything in life is only for now!
Each time you smile…
It’ll only last a while.
Life may be scary…
But it’s only temporary
I told my wife I was glad they were coming to our town before the year ended, one of the biggest laughs of the show(in the song I just posted some of) will be a 
pretty soon. I don’t expect the show to age well, but it’s still pretty funny, even as a period piece. I just hope they leave it alone and don’t try to “update” it as time goes on. That almost never works.
Enjoy,
Steven
Dude, the internet will always be for porn, everyone will always be a little bit racist and there will always be bad idea bears. This is a timeless classic. 