In 2004 on Broadway, against all the odds, a little show called AVENUE Q snatched 3
Tony™ Awards for Best Book, Best Score and Best Musical from a monster hit, WICKED.
This year, VR Theatrical and Kosie Smit are proud to present that triple Tony™ Winner to
Johannesburg audiences.
The Broadway production was described as ‘equal parts puppetry, comedy and catchy
tunes’. AVENUE Q is a laugh-out-loud comedy musical that tells the timeless story of a
recent college grad named Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the
way out on Avenue Q. He soon discovers that although the residents seem nice, it is clear
that this is not your ordinary neighbourhood. Together, Princeton and his new-found
friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life.
TV Programmes like Sesame Street in America and Takalani Sesame here in South Africa
teach values and life-skills to young children through the use of puppetry and songs.
AVENUE Q applies the same principle by teaching real-life lessons and broaching hard-todiscuss
adult topics such as racism, pornography and a whole lot more in an entertaining
and colourful manner!
The South African premiere will be Directed and Choreographed by Timothy le Roux, with
Musical Direction by Dawid Boverhoff. Kosie Smit is tasked with Puppet Creation as well
as Scenic Design. Lighting Design is by Oliver Hauser.
Le Roux said: “The all South African cast were put through their paces at auditions late
last year. In musical theatre jargon the term ‘triple threat’ is often used to describe a
person who is good at acting, singing and dancing. What makes this piece of theatre
unique is that it includes all that – plus puppetry skills, which requires intensive training
for our actors.”
The cast features stellar performers: Ashleigh Harvey as Kate Monster/Lucy, Clive
Gilson as Princeton/Rod, Daniel Geddes as Nicky/Trekkie Monster, Grant Towers as
Brian, Yamikani Mahaka-Phiri as Gary Coleman, Rebecca Hartle as Christmas Eve, Nieke
Lombard as Bad Idea Bear, Graeme Wicks as Bad Idea Bear and Songezo Khumalo will
fulfill various Understudy Roles.
Actors operate the puppets in full view of the audience, using both their hands while
singing, acting and dancing.
AVENUE Q contains scenes which may be unsuitable for children under 16. Children
under 5 will not be admitted!
Is it appropriate for kids?
Er, well, this is where it gets a bit fuzzy. If your teenager is mature enough to see a
musical about issues such as sex, drinking, and surfing the web for porn, then they’ll
probably love AVENUE Q too! Only you can judge. It’s hard to say what exact age is right
to see AVENUE Q – parents should use their discretion based on the maturity level of
their children. But we promise you this – if you do bring your teenagers to AVENUE Q –
they’ll think you’re really cool!
The production opens at Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre on May 10th and will run
from Wednesdays to Sundays at the following times:
Wednesdays – 20:00
Thursdays – 20:00
Fridays – 20:00
Saturdays – 16:00 and 20:00
Sundays – 15:00
Tickets range from R100 – R350 and are available through Computicket.
Discounts are available for block bookings – contact Geraldine on
geraldine@montetheatre.co.za for block booking discounts.
