Originally scheduled to start Nov. 13 at the Golden Theatre, the actresses' first leading role on Broadway was delayed due to the recently ended stagehands strike. She succeeds Mary Faber in the roles created by Stephanie D'Abruzzo.

Stiles previously served as understudy in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Broadway and for the tour. She was also seen in the national tour of Dr. Doolittle.

Currently in its fifth year on Broadway at the Golden Theatre — following an acclaimed Off-Broadway debut at the Vineyard Theatre — Avenue Q also played a run in Las Vegas at the Wynn Las Vegas casino resort. It currently enjoys a run at London's Noel Coward Theatre and launched its first national tour this summer.

Original cast member Jennifer Barnhart is still performing in the New York company with a cast that also includes Christian Anderson, Evan Harrington, Ann Sanders, Howie Michael Smith and Haneefah Wood.

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." Avenue Q began previews July 11, 2003, and opened July 31 at the John Golden to positive critical and audience response. 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 can be found on the web at www.avenueq.com.