Avenue Q (2024 film)

Avenue Q is a 2021 American musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Jeff Whitty based on the 2003 Broadway musical of the same name by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. The film stars Bobby Moynihan, Ne-Yo, and Margaret Cho as Brian, Gary Coleman, and Christmas Eve, respectively. The main cast of puppets are performed by John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo (reprising their Broadway roles as Princeton and Kate Monster), Brian Henson (as the voice of Rod), Kevin Clash (as Nicky), Noel MacNeal (as Trekkie Monster), Leslie Carrara-Rudolph (as Lucy the Slut), and Karen Prell (as one of the Bad Idea Bears). It also features voice performances by Dave Goelz as the other Bad Idea Bear, Louise Gold as Mrs. Thistletwat, Bill Barretta as Ricky, Steve Whitmire, in his first performing role since his departure from The Muppets Studio in 2016, as a newspaper salesman; and Joey Mazzarino as a doctor. Other characters are performed by David Rudman, Martin P. Robinson, and Warrick Brownlow-Pike.

Like the musical, the film centers around Princeton, a youthful puppet character with big dreams and a tiny bank account, who is trying to figure out what is his purpose in life. He moves into a shabby apartment on Avenue Q and hooks up with many of the avenue's residents, including aspiring teacher Kate Monster, homosexual investment banker Rod and his roommate Nicky, broke and unemployed Brian, Japanese therapist Christmas Eve, washed-up former child star turned superintendent Gary Coleman, and Internet pornography-addicted Trekkie Monster. Throughout the film, the cast has to deal with the hardships of real life, and briefly wish to return to a time when everything in life wasn't so difficult, but eventually accept their hard lives, knowing that everything in life, good or bad, is only "for now."

Also like the musical, the film touches on such adult themes as racism (mainly, that everyone is racist to some extent), homosexuality (Nicky tries to assure Rod he wouldn't care if Rod was gay), Internet pornography (as Trekkie points out, lots of people watch it), schadenfreude (Gary points out to Nicky that lots of people show it), the hardships of relationships (Kate stresses over not having a boyfriend and struggles to maintain one with Princeton, Rod and Nicky can't get along as roommates) and employment (Brian is laid off and penniless, Kate struggles to open a new school for monsters), and the consequences of actively trying to seek out your life's purpose (Princeton ends up feeling more miserable the longer he searches). One minor difference is the alteration of some dialogue to fit the story's medium (Princeton suggests his purpose in life is to put everything he's learned into a movie rather than a musical, and the whole cast sings, "This film is only for now!" during the final number).

The puppets for the film were designed by Ed Eyth (based on original Broadway designs by Rick Lyon) and built by Jim Henson's Creature Shop in New York (which also builds the Sesame Street Muppets), which also built over 90 new puppets exclusive to the film, all of whom appear throughout the film as extras (as everything from cabaret patrons to neighbors to wedding attendees to college students to hospital staff and patients). To perform each puppet (and to provide assistance for the lead performers), the film's puppeteers hired Jennifer Barnhart, Peter Linz, and around 50 of their fellow puppeteers from the Jim Henson Company and Sesame Workshop to help perform the characters. Avenue Q was dedicated in memory to the real Gary Coleman, who died in 2010 and was supposed to play himself in the original musical; in his dedication, he's referred to as "A great friend of Avenue Q."

The film was released in the United States by Columbia Pictures on November 25, 2021. It garnered generally positive reviews (praising the direction, acting, music, and puppetry) but bombed at the box office, earning $70 million worldwide on a $40 million budget.

Plot
The film opens with an extended version of the Avenue Q theme song as the camera moves down a suburban New York neighborhood, passing by apartments, parks, and busy streets, until it reaches a large university. An orange-skinned puppet character named Princeton, wearing a navy blue graduate hat and gown, walks in holding a scroll containing his B.A. English degree, which he believes is no use to him ("What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?"), but still feels he can change the world for the better.

The scene changes to the titular avenue, where its residents explain their dilemmas through song ("It Sucks to Be Me"); Brian, a 32-year-old wannabe late night comic, just got fired by Starbucks and is now left with no job or money; Kate, a monster who aspires to be a kindergarten teacher, can't seem to find a boyfriend in spite of her lovable personality; Rod and Nicky, two puppets who became best friends the day they met, prove to be terrible roommates, with Rod annoyed by Nicky's laziness and Nicky frustrated with Rod being such a hot-headed neat freak; and Christmas Eve, a Japanese therapist, can't find a client or make money. Princeton arrives on the avenue looking for a place to live; everywhere he's checked thus far is outside his price range. Brian suggests talking to the superintendent: former child actor Gary Coleman himself, who explains that ever since his "folks" stole his earnings and his stardom went down the toilet, he moved to Avenue Q as their landlord. Despite their problems, everyone is strangely happy, knowing that everyone else's lives suck, too.

In Rod and Nicky's apartment, Rod prepares to read his favorite book, Motion Pictures of the 1940s', until Nicky barges in, ecstatic about a man he met on the subway, who believed Nicky was gay. When Rod tries to quickly change the subject to what Nicky had for lunch, Nicky starts to think that Rod may be getting defensive about being gay himself, and tells Rod ("If You Were Gay") that if he were, he wouldn't mind it at all. Rod, of course, tries to argue that he's not gay. Outside the apartment, Princeton reveals that he's looking for his purpose in life ("Purpose"). When he finds a penny manufactured the year he was born, he takes it as a sign. During the song, Princeton gets backup from his six moving boxes. He then bumps into Kate, who reveals her dream of opening a school for little monsters. She is offended when Princeton implies that she and Trekkie Monster, the avenue's resident social outsider, are somehow related just because they're monsters, finding such a question racist. She quickly proves herself to not be above this, however, as she claims to not want non-monsters like Princeton to go there ("Everybody's a Little Racist"). Gary, Brian and Christmas Eve also prove themselves racist to an extent, as for example, Gary tells jokes about "stupid" Polacks, and Brian calls Christmas Eve an "Oriental wife".

After receiving a check for $13 in the mail, Princeton encounters the Bad Idea Bears, who try to convince him to waste the money on beer. He initially refuses, but then sees minimal harm in the beverage, much to the Bears' joy. Meanwhile, Kate gets a call from Principal Lavinia Thistletwat, who tells her she can teach a class tomorrow, and she can even choose the subject. An excited Kate decides to teach the virtues of the Internet. That is, until Trekkie appears to tell Kate that the Internet is really all about the porn ("The Internet is for Porn"). A disgusted Kate labels Trekkie a pervert, believing that no normal person would enjoy sitting at home and watching porn on the Internet. In turn, Trekkie reveals that the "normal" people on the avenue (Brian, Gary, Rod, even Princeton) look at Internet porn as well. Kate tries to argue that they all use the Internet for other reasons; Rod trades stocks online, Brian shops on Amazon.com, Gary keeps selling his stuff on eBay, and Princeton sent Kate a "sweet" online birthday card, to which they all agree. Trekkie, however, asks Kate what she thinks they did after, to which Princeton gleefully reveals his guilty pleasure. A further demoralized Kate marches off.

Cast
Bobby Moynihan as Brian

Ne-Yo as Gary Coleman

Margaret Cho as Christmas Eve

John Tartaglia as Princeton, Mrs. Thistletwat (puppetry), and Ricky (puppetry)

Stephanie D'Abruzzo as Kate Monster, Newspaper Salesman (puppetry), and Box

Brian Henson as Rod (voice)

Kevin Clash as Nicky, Blue Bad Idea Bear (puppetry), and Box

Noel MacNeal as Trekkie Monster, Hospital Doctor (puppetry), and Box

Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as Lucy the Slut, Rose the Redbird, and Box

Dave Goelz as Blue Bad Idea Bear (voice)

Karen Prell as Yellow Bad Idea Bear, Belle the Bluebird, and Box

Louise Gold as Mrs. Thistletwat (voice)

Bill Barretta as Ricky (voice)

David Rudman as Rod (puppetry), Newcomer, and Box

Steve Whitmire as Newspaper Salesman (voice)

Martin P. Robinson as College Teacher

Joseph Mazzarino as Hospital Doctor (voice)

Warrick Brownlow-Pike as Wedding Minister

Puppet Captain: Rick Lyon

Assistant Puppet Captain: Jason Jacoby

Senior Assistant Puppeteer: Paul McGinnis

Additional Puppeteers: Pam Arciero, Heather Asch, Jennifer Barnhart, Tau Bennett, Ron Binion, Lindsey "Z" Briggs, Lisa Buckley, Tyler Bunch, Raymond Carr, Frankie Cordero, Melissa Creighton, Ryan Dillon, Ben Durocher, Jodi Eichelberger, David Matthew Feldman, Mark Gale, Aymee Garcia, James Godwin, BJ Guyer, Chris Thomas Hayes, Andy Hayward, Patrick Daniel Holmes, Eric Jacobson, Haley Jenkins, Avery Lee Jones, James Kemp, Vicki Kenderes-Eibner, John Kennedy, Kathleen Kim, James Kroupa, Tim Lagasse, Michael Latini, Peter Linz, Spencer Lott, Lara MacLean, Amanda Maddock, Jim Martin, Ed May, Tracie Mick, Alison Mork, Carmen Osbahr, Anney Fresh Ozar, Annie Peterle, Marc Petrosino, Sam of The Zing Zongs, Michael Schupbach, Carole Simms D'Agostino, Matt Vogel, James Wojtal, Eric Wright (Uncredited: Alice Dinnean, Colleen Smith)

Credits
Dedicated to Gary Coleman 1968-2010 A great friend of Avenue Q.

Directed by Jason Moore

Written by Jeff Whitty and Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx

Produced by Kevin McCollum

Executive Producer: Lisa Henson

Based on the hit musical of the same name by Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx, produced as an off-Broadway production by the Vineyard Theatre and The New Group

Director of Photography: Charles Minsky

Production Designers: David Gallo and Bo Welch

Art Director: Eve Stewart

Choreographer: Ken Roberson

Puppets for the film designed by Edward Eyth and built by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, New York

Puppets for the show designed by Rick Lyon

"Avenue Q" set designed for the show by Anna Louizos

Edited by Steven Weisberg

Original Score by Michael Giacchino

Music and lyrics from the show written by Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx

Music for the film supervised by John Debney

Music for the show directed by Gary Adler and supervised by Stephen Oremus

Costume Designers: Mirene Rada and Polly Smith

Casting by Pat McCorkle

Puppet Builders: Ed Christie (Puppet Supervisor), Melissa Creighton (Supervisor, The Jim Henson Company), Jane Gootnick, Paul Hartis, Rollie Krewson, Peter MacKennan, Lara MacLean, Tom Newby, Polly Smith, Jason Weber, Heather Asch, Carol Binion, Ron Binion, David Bizzaro, Mary Brehmer, Matthew Brennan, Matt Brooks, Michael Bush, Brian Carson, Ceili Clemens, Andrea Detwiler, Isabelle Dufour, Ben Durocher, Victoria Ellis, Henri Ewaskio, Alex "Jurgen" Ferguson, Bob Flanagan, Rob Gardner, Vanessa Gifford Gillis, James Godwin, BJ Guyer, Deborah Hertzberg, Ann Marie Holdgruen, J. Douglas James, James Kroupa, Tim Lagasse, Kari Love, Amanda Maddock, Cathy McCullough, John Orberg, Anney Fresh Ozar, Jane Pien, Lily Rosen, Stephen Rotondaro, Kate Rusek, Michael Schupbach, Carole Simms D'Agostino, David Skelly, Erin Slattery Black, Keely Snook, Muriel Stockdale Grabe, Norman Tempia, Mari Tobita, David Parkinson Valentine, Stacey Weingarten, James Wojtal