Hit Broadway musical, Avenue Q, set to shock Ilford audiences with help from Spitting Image puppeter
Characters from Avenue Q. - Credit: Archant
An award-winning musical featuring an unusual cast of fluffy, filthy and unforgettable characters who’ve found themselves living on the wrong side of Sesame Street, is arriving in Ilford.
The Kenneth More Theatre (KMT), Oakfield Road, will play host to the most unholy comic allegiance between humans and puppets the world has ever seen in the show, Avenue Q.
The coming of age story like no other is about the lively and off-the-wall characters on a downtown New York street trying to make sense of life’s burning issues: love, work, relationships, and, above all, just how are you supposed to pay the bills with a BA in English?
Hilarious and uproariously entertaining with songs performed by a cast of hugely talented performers and puppets, the show is a musical like no other.
Cast member, Phillip Rowlands, said: “I loved listening to the original Broadway cast recording and so registered by interest right from the off. Nothing like this has ever been seen at the KMT.
“The appeal of the show is that it allows you to look fondly back at the TV shows you used to love as a child, but with all the fun parts of being an adult. The songs are laugh-out-loud-funny but there are some good messages and stories coming out too.”
As a principal performer for 13 years on the successful television series Spitting Image, puppet coach for the production, Nigel Plaskitt, is well placed to advise the show’s performers.
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Phillip added: “The show is popular because it allows you to laugh and enjoy these puppets behaving in ways that you could never get away with in person.
“The hardest thing is finding the stamina of holding and manipulating a puppet for a full two hour show. In the movies, they can cut when they need a rest; when we go for a full run through the show, some of us only get a few seconds break.”
Avenue Q runs from tomorrow until Saturday. Tickets are priced at £15. To book please call 020 8553 4466 or visit www.kmtheatre.co.uk.
• Recorder readers can get two tickets for the price of one for tonight (Thursday) and tomorrow’s (Friday) performances. When booking, quote RECORDER OFFER.
