On the heels of the last production at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights, I was sort of looking forward to “Beehive: The 60’s Musical”. After all, their “Avenue Q” was sterling. I even invited some friends ( who also loved that show) to join us.
Now, in 2018, their production of the hilarious musical “Avenue Q” (Sesame Street- x rated) is smashing and equal to the quality of any of Chicago’s finest musical theater companies. Bravo to Joe Keefe and your staff for finding the cast and production people to bring this wonderful theatrical experience to your stage
Have you ever been to a show and at the end you weren’t quite sure if the actors deserved a standing ovation? That isn’t the case with “Avenue Q” now playing at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre. The cast deserved every bit of the thunderous applause from the on their-feet capacity audience.
Reminiscent of that other famous Street where puppets live, this laugh-outloud show explores the familiar theme of postgraduate malaise in an inventive way that is both nostalgic and hilariously incongruent.
Avenue Q" imparts personal, professional and financial lessons to young adults the way "Sesame Street" communicates cognitive and educational fundamentals to children: kindly, patiently, and with a surfeit of sly wit and merry tunes.
Avenue Q, presented by the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, is a great way to spend the night with your favorite adult theatre companion. The show is hilariously ribald, high-energy and most definitely R-rated. Avenue Q exists in a parallel universe to Sesame Street, where muppets (human, monster and other) and humans live out life’s ups and downs together.
Helping to convey the ambiance of the piece is an impressively beautiful set by scenic designer Jeremy Hollis. The set is grand and expansive and sets the mood perfectly. With an international cast of characters, the play relies heavily on accents. This can be tricky, but dialect coach Elise Kauzlaric has done a fantastic job keeping the characters authentic.
Metropolis' solid production, however, makes up for some of the play's shortcomings. Vigorously staged by director Joe Lehman, "Boeing-Boeing" is ably performed by a well-rehearsed cast with spot-on timing and a flair for physical comedy.
Metropolis director, Joe Lehman, uses a translation of “Boeing Boeing” by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans which keeps the humor flying at a frenetic pace. Lehman’s blocking and pacing of the production are worthy of the author’s intent, but some elements are missing.
