Avenue Q (Old Joint Stock Theatre)

Having dived into the nearest phone box (difficult as there aren’t many these days) I’ve emerged as my alter ego the Musical 🤓 Geek after a lengthy period of enforced retirement due to a global pandemic and stepped out into the small but, perfectly formed surroundings of the Old Joint Stock Theatre in Birmingham and on to the somewhat downtrodden thoroughfare otherwise known as Avenue Q. Inhabited by a mixture of human, puppet and monster characters, all a bit down on their luck but, making the best of what they have, eloquently described by Brian (an enthusiastically physical performance from Thomas Cove) with the phrase ‘It Sucks to be Me!’, although I think it pretty much sucks to be everybody at this location at least to begin with.

Seriously ‘smashing’ the vocal performance is Rebecca Withers as kindergarten teaching assistant Kate Monster and cabaret performer Lucy the Slut (yes, you did read that correctly and she can certainly make you feel special as does the whole performance). Ben Hutt excels as naive college graduate Princeton and closet homosexual Rod and Bradley Walwyn delivers some vocal acrobatics as Rod’s friend Nicky and Internet Supremo Trekkie Monster (ask him where he made his money, apparently there is only one stable investment on the World Wide Web!).

Stealing the show despite only a small number of appearances are Bella Bowen/Alex Wadham as the Bad Idea Bears (some of their ideas are just so wrong) and Matt Bond as Kate’s ‘crabby old bitch’ of a boss, Mrs Thistletwat.

Completing a stellar cast are Etheria Chan as Brian’s Asian American fiancé Christmas Eve, Hannah Victoria as child television star Gary Coleman and Tabitha Rose in a multitude of supporting roles.

Adam Lacey, Pippa Lacey, Jack Hopkins and Theatre SSL (in the form of father and daughter team Paul and Hannah Finch) are the production team that bring this highly entertaining piece together.

So if you’re a ‘well hung stud who leeches off his parents and can’t get his act together’ (or even if your not and just appreciate some great musical theatre) make sure you catch this one which runs until 21st August 2021, you might even then want a ticket for the classic Little Shop of Horrors by the same team running at the same venue from 1st to 26th September 2021.

Book Here

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