Lawson Lewallen (Princeton) and the entire company of Avenue Q performing the final number, “For Now,” during a recent rehearsal at the Habersham Community Theater in Clarkesville.
The Habersham Community Theatre is presenting a revival of the 2004 Tony Award Winning musical, Avenue Q. It’s a coming of age story set in New York told through satirical comedy and catchy tunes. The characters are puppets, animated by unconcealed puppeteers who interact with human actors. The characters and music are billed as “irreverent, beautiful, and unforgettable.” Avenue Q fits the bill.
The HCT production of Avenue Q features a strong ensemble cast that strikes a professional presence on stage. I particularly enjoyed seeing Lawson Lewallen (Princeton), Cameron Scofield (Kate), Alison Singer (Lucy) and some new faces grace the John Kollock Stage. Though this production is not for the young or faint of heart, it does offer up quite a few laughs.
Lewallen leads the cast with poise and professionalism and Scofield blew me away with her talent! Her knack for musical theater is impressive.
Because Avenue Q is driven by puppetry it takes awhile to fully suspend disbelief, still, it’s precisely that mix of adult humor presented in childlike fashion that makes it unique and appealing.
HCT’s puppet designers display a skillful eye for detail. Their creations are enjoyable to watch, but I would prefer to see more of the actors’ faces. No matter how crafty and eye-catching puppets are, they can only “act” so much.
The young age of the HCT actors who curse and engage in sexual puppet encounters on stage may make some audience members uncomfortable. Their roles were written for adults. Here they are played by high schoolers – good actors – but still, teenagers.
The evening I previewed the show I didn’t get to see the lighting queues so I look forward to seeing the crew’s final choices. Manhattan is bathed in inspiring light and I hope the audience will get to experience that, too.
Avenue Q is a daring production for Habersham County due to its adult themes but there is a good story to be told. Just be prepared for sexual situations and for some colorful language similar to what you would hear in a show such as Jersey Boys.
Since it has played at HCT before I don’t expect the shock value to be too high, still, one has to wonder if this is a good fit for Habersham. HCT has built a regional reputation for producing quality family entertainment. It flexes its theatrical muscles and stretches our Bible belt bounds with Avenue Q. Some will appreciate it, others will not. If you’re easily offended by off-color humor, stay away. But if you’re one who likes your entertainment ‘outside the box’ and edgy, Avenue Q is for you. It’s very different from HCT’s normal family fare. It’s a thinking man’s/woman’s production that will force you out of your comfort zone – and maybe even some long-held opinions.
Avenue Q opens at the Habersham Community Theatre just off the square in Clarkesville on January 15. The show runs through January 25. The nightly show time is 7:30pm with Sunday matinees at 2pm.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Habersham Community Theater online at https://www.habershamtheater.org/hct/.
About the author
Justin Gallagher is well-known in Habersham’s theatrical community. He performed extensively on the stage while growing up in Clarkesville. Gallagher ‘s resume includes shows such as State Road 47, the Wizard of Oz, Mirrors, Honk! , High School Musical 2 (Teen Ensemble Alternate for Theatre of the Stars, under direction of Tony Nominated Director, Jeff Calhoun), and the first production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Lyncoya) in Manhattan after it closed on Broadway. Justin is also a featured extra in a new Sci-Fi/History Channel Spec Pilot, The Point of Divergence which stars Adam Kaplan of Newsies on Broadway fame. Upon graduating from Habersham Central in 2011 Gallagher moved to New York. He studied for one year at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NY and has been trained under industry professionals. After living in Manhattan for three years and being exposed to many Broadway shows and actors he says, “It’s nice to return home and see how the performing arts has continued to grow here in Habersham.”
