Avenue Q Announces Cast for San Diego Run and National Tour; 30 Cities Lined Up

By Ernio Hernandez
07 May 2007

Kelli Sawyer will star in the national tour of Avenue Q.
Kelli Sawyer will star in the national tour of Avenue Q.
photo by Carol Rosegg

Casting has been announced for the forthcoming national tour of the 2004 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Avenue Q. The stops scheduled for the road company have also been revealed.

Presented in association with The Old Globe, after a stop at San Diego's Spreckels Theatre (June 30-Aug. 5), the musical will then embark on an 18-month national tour from San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre Aug. 7, eventually hitting more than 30 cities.

Filling the fictional street populated by people and puppets will be Robert McClure (as Princeton, Rod), Cole Porter (Brian), Kelli Sawyer (Kate Monster, Lucy The Slut & others), Christian Anderson (Nicky, Trekkie Monster, Bear & others), Angela Ai (Christmas Eve), Carla Renata (Gary Coleman) and Minglie Chen (Mrs. T., Bear & others). Rounding out the ensemble will be Jennie Kwan, Maggie Lakis, Seth Rettberg, Erica Robinson, Danielle Thomas and Cullen R. Titmas.

The lineup of cities (subject to change) follows:

  • San Francisco, CA (Aug. 7-Sept. 2) - Orpheum Theatre
  • Los Angeles, CA (Sept. 4-Oct. 14) - Ahmanson Theatre
  • Tucson, AZ (Oct. 16-21) - Music Hall
  • Houston, TX (Oct. 23-Nov. 4) - Hobby Center
  • Kansas City, MO (Nov. 6-11) - Music Hall
  • Des Moines, IA (Nov. 13-18) - Civic Center
  • Pittsburgh, PA (Nov. 20-25) - Benedum Center
  • Washington, D.C. (Nov. 27- Dec. 9) - National Theatre
  • Baltimore, MD (Dec. 11-23) - Hippodrome Theatre
  • Minneapolis, MN (Jan. 1-13, 2008) - State Theatre
  • Cleveland, OH (Jan. 15-27, 2008) - Palace Theatre
  • Philadelphia, PA (Jan. 29-Feb. 10, 2008) - Forrest Theatre
  • St. Louis, MO (Feb. 12-24, 2008) - Fox Theatre
  • Milwaukee, WI (Feb. 26- March 2, 2008) - Marcus Center
  • Rochester, NY (March 4-9, 2008) - Auditorium Theatre
  • Boston, MA (March 11-23, 2008) - Colonial Theatre
  • Atlanta, GA (March 25-30, 2008) - Fox Theatre
  • Tampa, FL (April 1-6, 2008) - Tampa Bay PAC
  • Columbus, OH (April 8-13, 2008) - Ohio Theatre
  • East Lansing, MI (April 15-20, 2008) - Wharton Center
  • Louisville, KY (April 22-27, 2008) - Louisville Palace
  • Buffalo, NY (April 29-May 4, 2008) - Shea PAC
  • Raleigh, NC (May 6-11, 2008) - Progress Energy Center
  • Boston, MA (May 11-23, 2008) - Colonial Theatre
  • Miami, FL (May 13-18, 2008) - Carnival Center
  • Seattle, WA (June 3-22, 2008) - Moore Theatre
  • Portland, OR (June 24-29, 2008) - Keller Auditorium
  • Ft. Worth, TX (July 8-13, 2008) - Bass Performance Hall
  • Greenville, SC (July 15-20, 2008) - Peace Center
  • Charlotte, NC (July 22-27, 2008) - Blumenthal PAC
  • Toronto, ON (July 29-Aug. 31, 2008) - Elgin Theatre

    Currently in its fourth year on Broadway, the show has already played a run in Las Vegas at the Wynn Las Vegas casino resort — an exclusive deal that originally kept the show from touring — and also enjoys a run at London's Noel Coward Theatre.

    Avenue Q began previews July 11, 2003, and opened July 31 at the John Golden to positive critical and audience response following an Off-Broadway run at the Vineyard Theatre. 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).

    Avenue Q sends up popular children's television shows such 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."

    Avenue Q can be found on the web at www.avenueq.com.