Puppets have power in much loved show (for adults only)

IT’S got catchy songs, hilarious lines and great puppets — but Avenue Q is not for kids. Reading Operatic Society is bringing the show to the Kenton Theatre next week and even its cast are devoted fans.

The musical comedy parodies Sesame Street but portrays adult themes of racism and sexuality.

In a rundown area of New York, college graduate Princeton (played by Henry Bearman) is just starting out. Avenue A is too pricey… When he moves to Avenue Q, among his neighbours are a puppet, Kate Monster (Susie Williamson), and two “humans”, Brian (Thomas Atkinson-Joy, also directing) and his Japanese fiancée Christmas Eve (Emma Longland).

Emma Longland, who is head of English and drama at The Oratory Prep School and lives in RAF Benson, was delighted to be cast as Christmas Eve.

“It’s my favourite musical of all time,” she says.

“I randomly googled auditions for Avenue Q because I thought, you know what, I’d love to do it and it just so happened that the workshops for it were the next day in Reading, so I was like ‘oh, goodness, that was a bit of a sign’. I am 42, and it’s really interesting because the characters themselves are twentysomethings and early thirtysomethings.

“It’s wonderful, at one point, the lead, Princeton, sings It Sucks to be Me and he goes, ‘it sucks to be broken, unemployed and turning’… and then he sighs and he goes ‘god, I’m old’, and he goes, ‘23’.

“That is going to get a laugh from the audience, it’s like when you’re young and youthful and you think you’re getting old.

“I sing The More You Ruv Someone, it’s so fun to take on a different accent. Christmas Eve is Japanese and in the actual directions on the script it says she wanders off, swearing in Japanese. I have to brush up on my Japanese swearwords.”

Emma is delighted to be working with puppets.

“I literally cannot tell you how amazing these puppets are, I get to interact with them and honestly it’s a bit sad really how excited I am.

“You can see the actor, but the actor is channelling all their energy through that puppet. At one point I’m holding Kate Monster, I’m coaxing her through her heartbreak and I’m holding her hand and our heads are together and I touch her nose and it’s just so cute.” Director Thomas Atkinson-Joy, who plays Brian, says: “It’s been one of those shows that I remember really falling in love with and when the opportunity came up I’m thinking oh my gosh, absolutely.

“It tackles so many universal themes around friendship, ambition and humanity that remain so important.

“I’m now the other side of 30 and there’s one song in particular called I Wish I Could Go Back to College, which has that nostalgic idea of life being so much easier or simpler when you were younger and having this hankering for this age of innocence.

“I think that’s the joy of this show, that among the comedy and the silliness and the puppets there are some really deep personal human emotional beats and moments of real pathos.”

Thomas has enjoyed working with puppets. “I’ve never directed puppets before but it’s been a fascinating experience to see what works and see what changes you have to make and see what additional humour you can bring out using them. For those of the cast using puppets, it takes a real kind of strength and physical stamina. That said, there’s so much joy bringing out the humour and those brilliant little touches.” Susie Williamson, 29, who plays Kate Monster, says: “I first saw it in 2014 in New York with my family and I found it hilarious then. I don’t know if my mum was a little bit annoyed at my dad for not maybe researching it a bit more because I was fairly young but we all came away laughing and singing songs from it. We’ve all just been cracking up in rehearsals.

“All of the themes are still very true to now and they do it in such an easy way to be digested, it’s done in a light-hearted way.”

Susie, who studied for a BTEC in musical theatre at The Henley College, has been in a production of Avenue Q before.

“I actually did the show a couple of years ago with a different society but I wasn’t a main character in that one, I was kind of jealous because I really wanted to play Kate Monster. So I’m thrilled that the casting team chose me.

“I’m just very excited and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as we’ve enjoyed being a part of it.”

l Reading Operatic Society presents Avenue Q at the Kenton Theatre from Wednesday, September 24 to Saturday, September 27 at 7.30pm, with a Saturday matinée at 2.30pm. Tickets cost £24.75 adults (£23.50 concessions). For more information, call the box office on (01491) 525050 or visit thekenton.org.uk