So is there a plot to back up all of these hilarious songs? Yes, and it is surprisingly deep for a show with puppets singing about internet porn. But the important part of the story is the message, not the details. On the surface, the show follows Princeton and Kate fall in love, fall apart, and then reconcile, while the other couples try to find happiness as well. But it is so much more than that.
Avenue Q and Sesame Street are not afraid to show the harsh realities of life in addition to the uplifting ones. Granted, there are fewer bad experiences on Sesame Street since children's lives USUALLY don't involve the pains of adulthood, while at times, the residents of the Avenue feel like their lives are falling apart, since post-college life can be turbulent, but there are happy times as well. Some of the songs in the show give examples of how to cope with the down times in life, one of which is about how to make your life look better. When Nicky is down and out after Rod kicked him out of the apartment, Gary Coleman explains the concept of schaudenfreude, which is German for taking pleasure from the pain of others. Gary reasons that schaudenfreude makes the world a better place to be, since it allows people to feel better about themselves. While it can be said that the ending of Avenue Q is a happy one, the real message is that the ending is happy ENOUGH for the characters, and life is full of good and bad times. The trick is to be able to weather the bad times and embrace the good times.
One of the final lessons of the show is that things don't always work out and nothing, whether it be good or bad, lasts forever or is certain (except death and taxes). Does Rod finally embrace who he is and find love? It looks that way. But does Brian finally become a comedian? No, and it looks like he never will (he bombed at a comedy club halfway through the show, and was heckled by his own fiancee). However, the show also says that sometimes, miracles can happen; in a bit of a deus ex machina, Trekkie Monster shows that he is a very savvy investor and allows for Kate's dream to come true (the show debuted a few years ago, but just a few weeks ago, when the stock market started going into the toilet, my father said that Trekkie Monster had the right idea, and if he could have invested like Trekkie, he would have).
The final song, "For Now", may not be as funny as the other numbers, but it isn't supposed to be. It is about how, when times are bad, we have to remember that they will soon pass, but it also reminds us that good things don't last as well, and we can't dwell on them when they are gone.
Avenue Q is an incredible show that is juvenile and sophisticated, laugh-out-loud hilarious and very sweet. It is extremely deserving of the Tony Award it received for Best Musical (though I still think Wicked is the better show), and it does a phenomenal job of teaching without preaching to its audience. A lot of people will be off-put by the lewd lyrics and puppet sex, but this is a show that everyone should see.
Up next: A trip to Fleet Street...
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