"Fantasies Come True": Avenue Q Plays 1,500th Broadway Performance March 4
By Ernio Hernandez
04 Mar 2007
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Mary Faber and Lucy the Slut currently appear in the Broadway production Avenue Q.
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| photo by Nick Reuchel | Avenue Q, the winner of the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical, plays its 1,500th performance at Broadway's Golden Theatre March 4. Previews for the hit musical began July 11, 2003, with an official opening July 31.
The company will officially mark the occasion on March 5 with a "brief, onstage ceremony following the show," according to an announcement. "Members of the original cast, all subsequent cast replacements on Broadway, and members of the Las Vegas Q company are expected in the audience."
Currently in its fourth year on Broadway — following an acclaimed Off-Broadway debut at the Vineyard Theatre — the show has already played a run in Las Vegas at the Wynn Las Vegas casino resort and currently enjoys a run at London's Noel Coward Theatre. The musical will next play Old Globe's summer season at the historic Spreckels Theatre in San Diego, CA (starting June 30), before launching its first national tour.
Set on the fictitious New York street, Avenue Q sends up such popular children's television shows as "Sesame Street" and "The Electric Company," while serving up a bounty of pop-culture references and solving the mystery of the whereabouts of former "Diff'rent Strokes" child star Gary Coleman. The production bears the warning: "Full puppet nudity, not suitable for children."
The show's creators, Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, earned a Tony for their score as did book writer Jeff Whitty, and the musical itself garnered the top Best Musical prize at the 2004 Tony Awards. Jason Moore (Steel Magnolias) directed with musical direction by Gary Adler (Altar Boyz).
Puppets were conceived and designed by original cast member Rick Lyon. Stephen Oremus handles musical supervision, and choreography is by Ken Roberson. The Avenue Q design team features Anna Louizos (scenic), Mirena Rada (costume), Howell Binkley (lighting) and Acme Sound Partners (sound).
Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, Jeffrey Seller, Vineyard Theatre and The New Group produce the Broadway run.
Original cast member Jennifer Barnhart is still performing in the show with a cast that currently includes Mary Faber, Evan Harrington, Christian Anderson, Ann Sanders, Howie Michael Smith and Haneefah Wood.
Avenue Q can be found on the web at www.avenueq.com.
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Original cast member Jennifer Barnhart celebrates Avenue Q's 1500 performances.
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| photo by Nick Reuchel |
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