Amazon.com: Avenue Q will only fuel the frustration of those who think that Broadway has given up on sophisticated entertainment geared to adults. "Whatever happened to Cole Porter's witty rhymes and mature subject matter?" they'll say. Well, it's hard to deny that Avenue Q's main frame of reference is Sesame Street and that its humor can be very broad--yes, there's profanity and puppet sex. But the show also displays heart ("The More You Ruv Someone" typically begins with "Why can't people get along?") and a pretty satisfying zany streak. Musically, the score is rooted in 1970s pop, with nods to the aforementioned Sesame Street. The excellent cast, dominated by John Tartaglia and Stephanie D'Abruzzo, does it justice, milking the humorous numbers for all they're worth and finding pathos in the more straightforward ones. Not bad for a childish show. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
Disc 1:
The Avenue Q Theme - Company
What Do You Do with a B.A. in English? - John Tartaglia
It Sucks To Be Me - Jordan Gelber, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, John Tartaglia, Rick Lyon, Ann Harada, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jennifer Barnhart
If You Were Gay - Rick Lyon with John Tartaglia
Purpose - John Tartaglia & Company
Everyone's A Little Bit Racist - John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada
The Internet Is For Porn - Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Rick Lyon & the Guys
Mix Tape - Stephanie D'Abruzzo, John Tartaglia
I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today - Jordan Gelber with Ann Harada
Special - Stephanie D'Abruzzo with the Guys
You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love) - Natalie Venetia Belcon, Rick Lyon, Jennifer Barnhart & Ensemble with Stephanie D'Abruzzo, John Tartaglia, Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada
Come True - John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo with Rick Lyon
My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada - John Tartaglia
There's a Fine, Fine Line - Stephanie D'Abruzzo
There Is Life Outside Your Apartment - Jordan Gelber, John Tartaglia & Company
The More You Ruv Someone - Ann Harada, Stephanie D'Abruzzo
Schadenfreude - Natalie Venetia Belcon, Rick Lyon
I Wish I Could Go Back to College - Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Rick Lyon, John Tartaglia
The Money Song - Rick Lyon, John Tartaglia, Natalie Venetia Belcon with Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada, Jennifer Barnhart
School for Monsters/The Money Song (Reprise) - Rick Lyon & Company
There's A Fine, Fine Line (Reprise) - John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo with Ann Harada
What Do You Do With A B.A. In English? (Reprise) - Rick Lyon with Natalie Venetia Belcon, John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Jordan Gelber & Jennifer Barnhart
For Now - Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Jordan Gelber, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Ann Harada, Rick Lyon, John Tartaglia, Jennifer Barnhart
Is it perfect? No. Do I absolutely love it? YES!!! First, I'll tell you all about the weaknessess.
Puerile? Yep. And I don't care much for puerile. I especially hate bathroom humor. Cliched? Yes it is, in many places. Self-pitying? Yeah, my generation has kind of perfected self-pity, haven't we? So yes, I am well aware that this is not perfection. However...
Oh my God, I LOVE this!!! I love this passonately. I am just the right age to have watched Sesame Street fanatically through my entire early childhood (there was no cable in the city I grew up in until I was 14...Philly got cable VERY late). The songs have a sound sort of like songs I remember Sesame Street characters singing, but bigger.
This is why with everything in Avenue Q that I didn't like, I'll give it five stars and recommend it to anyone that will listen: For all of the puerile humor, the cliches, for all of the assumed irony and even cynicism, there is genuine warmth in Avenue Q. This show actually loves it's stumbing along, trying-to-figure-out-how-life-is-supposed-to-work characters. Avenue Q, at it's heart, has no real cynicisim. If you're a member of a generation that truly (for the most part) has no desire to emulate its parents (Which part shall we reject first? The divorces? The materialism? The custody issues?), you kind of have no model to build your life on. If this is you, you have to find your own way and make your own rules. Avenue Q captures what this feels like better than anything else I've ever seen.
Hilarious I first heard this back in 2004 and just recently began listening to it again. It was hilarious back then and it's still the funniest musical I've ever listened to. I'm not a huge fan of many musicals (Rocky Horror and Little Shop of Horrors are good in my book), but this one is just too much fun. As many may have heard, it has a fair amount of swearing, sexual references (and puppet sex in the live show apparently), and like one drug reference. But, if you aren't a total prude and want a good laugh, then take a listen or, better yet, go see the show on/off Broadway (I still haven't... sad face).
It seems geared towards the post-college crowd (which is apparent in the second song). Then it gets into a variety of subjects such as failure, homosexuality, racism, love, purpose, and ends on a cheery number that reminds everyone that things can always get better. There's a lot of honesty that you get with this musical. The puppets say things that people might be thinking, but wouldn't admit to themselves *broad generalization*
Of course, there's all sorts of silliness that is spliced into the mix with songs like "the Internet is for Porn," "My Girlfriend, who Lives in Canada," and "There is Life Outside Your Apartment." These are just as lewd, but a bit more playful than some of the other tracks, in my opinion.
It's all in fun. I don't see how it could get a negative review, but of course my bias shows some since I love it so much. Just know that it's definitely racy and is not your typical musical.
The other listing for Avenue Q has the tracks so you can listen.
Captures the performance brilliantly! Avenue Q's soundtrack is fantastic - every time I listen, it's like I'm back in my theater seat on Broadway. The recording is clear, crisp and has the same feel as the performers doing the show today. CD includes full lyrics for every song, which is also terrific. If you're a fan of the show (and how could you not be?), the CD is a must have.
Catchy, fun. No one will ever mistake this for Camelot, South Pacific, etc. But if you're in the right frame of mind, this is one of the most enjoyable musical OCRs on the market.
The lyrics are clever and honest - sometimes a little too honest ("The Internet is For Porn").
The tunes have a Sesame Street-esque hummability, and it's just a fun CD.
Standouts are D'Abruzzo's "Fine, Fine Line" and the Cast's finale, "For Now".
If you've ever been broke and unemployed and turning 33, this recording is for you.
Avenue Q The Musical I choose the original sound track from the musical and am glad I did. It was very clear, easy to understand and absolutely hilarious. The description that I had heard before I bought it; "Sesame Street meets South Park" is right on track. It was a great combination of ribald humor and just plain funny stuff. I highly recommend it.
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