The first Lexus Broadway Series at the Winspear is wrapping up the season with a lot of laughs. The hilarious production of the Tony-winning “Avenue Q” is the final show in the AT&T Center for the Performing Arts debut season.
“Avenue Q” tells the story of average puppets trying to live their lives, and audiences of young and old are meeting its premiere in Dallas enthusiastically. The seven-member cast consists of three real people and four puppeteers playing numerous characters.
The hilarious situations, songs and dialogue keep the audience laughing. The song-character pairings were proof of the show’s genius; an Asian-American woman named Christmas Eve sang out “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” turning all her L’s into R’s; the recluse, perverted millionaire Trekkie Monster imparted his wisdom in “The Internet is for Porn;” the recent college graduate Princeton asks the question “What Do You Do With a B.A. in English?” Among the amusing characters were the adorable Bad Idea Bears, who encouraged the characters to do foolish things.
The only jokes that fell flat on the Dallas audience were those that are 6-years-old and already outdated and those at the expense of the recently deceased child-star Gary Coleman. Coleman was portrayed as the cynically mirthful landlord, who sang songs such as “Schadenfreude” in which he laughs at the misfortune of others. Nigel Jamaal Clark, the actor playing Coleman, dedicated the show to the ‘Different Strokes’ actor at the end of the performance.
“Avenue Q” will have you laughing at yourself, a little offended, but just might surprise you in the end when you find your heart a little warmer. In the final scenes of the show, the characters encourage each other help one another and are reassured with the mantra that ‘everything except for death and taxes is only for now.’ The verdict is in, “Avenue Q” might just be for now, but the Lexus Broadway Series is here to stay.
“Avenue Q” runs through June 6 at the Winspear Opera House, for more information and tickets call the box office, 214.880.0202.
