Kate & Spence: The Musical

Kate: I admit it...I don't like musicals.  I WANT to like musicals, I TRY to like musicals, but I don't like most musicals.  There are exceptions...1776 is a great musical.  (It was pointed out to me years ago that I liked it because it is book heavy.)  And the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret was an amazing imagining of a musical and maybe my all-time favorite (but don't make me watch any other version).

This fact is odd only because I worked in the theater world for 20 years in DC and NYC. Yes, I worked on Broadway musicals.

That being said (Ha! that was for you Spence), Spence and I went to see Avenue Q last night.  I was very excited to see it having just missed it in NYC.  I remember the controversy after it won Best Musical (yes, there are politics in the theater world too).  So I went last night to NCRT with an open mind and was looking forward to seeing it.

My disappointment had nothing to do with the production itself...it was solid, enjoyable, with a talented cast.  I'm not a theater critic nor do I wish to be. I didn't love it for the same reason I don't love most musicals:
1) Just as you get in to the story a song comes to an end and the audience is expected to clap.  Clapping immediately takes me out of the story and reminds me I'm in the theater.  2) After the first two songs they all start to sound alike and I can no longer differentiate between songs. 3) With last night's show I was expecting innovative, irreverent, cutting edge lyrics, it won best musical after all.  It fell short. Maybe 10 years ago it was cutting edge?

The play's the thing.

Spence: To quote Trekkie Monster from Avenue Q, "The internet is for porn." Brilliant!