Sunday, November 18, 2007
Puppets tackle adults-only issues in 'Avenue Q'
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "For puppet designer Rick Lyon, one of the most gratifying things about 'Avenue Q' is that it gave puppets back to adults."
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12 comments:
Now that we have made puppets, I find myself being more sensitive to articles about them. I like this show for its ability to approach topics that might be found more offensive then funny if it were performed by just actors. The interesting thing to see is how one prop can break such barriers. The actors are visible the entire time, just as much as the puppets, you can see the words of the script coming out of their mouths, and yet it seems separate. Its a great example of an important feature that puppet theater has.
I'm not the biggest fan of this musical. I enjoyed it a lot when I first saw it but whenever I hear any of the songs now it greatly bothers me. I feel like it was a big step for theatre to make. I'm sure 5 years ago if someone said to their friend I'm going to see a show on Broadway with puppets they would have laughed and wondered what it was. Today that seems relatively normal. I think that they should come out with a new show with puppets so that everyone will stop singing Avenue Q and maybe start singing a new humorous puppet musical.
i could not agree with this articles more... it is sooo funny to me that we all grew up with the muppet babies and sesame street and that they then stayed as childhood play toys. i love that now adults are being reintroduced. i agree with alana. the art of puppetry is now more fully realized in my mind and the subject matter of the show seems all that more appealing to adults because it is something so shocking yet so natural in a way.
One of the most interesting aspects of the design of Avenue Q is that the actors are still visible when on stage. They designers didn't try to hide them to have the focus just on the puppets and I think that is an important part of the show. It reminds me of the design in The Lion King. That we see that they are actors in costumes designed like animals, but we still see the characters as being seperated from the actors. I think it's important that we see the actors to have some familiarity with the characters. Its hard to feel for just puppets in shows.
I'm really curious if a puppet show could be successful on Broadway if the puppets were not used in sexually explicit situations. Granted, this show does have a fairly solid book behind it that almost makes you forget about the puppets. The puppets are really mostly used as a joke in the show, though, when they are placed in sexual situations. I don't know how successful a more playful show that isn't so adult would be with puppets.
I had no idea that the puppets where that big. When you see them on tv they must use much smaller versions so the actors look normal sized. I saw a clip online that had "The Internet is for Porn" in it and it took two or three people to hold up Trekkie Monster alone. When you look at the production photo's, you really can see the quality of work that went into creating each of the characters. Should be fun.
Puppets have fasinated me my entire life because they are objects that you have to breath life into. It takes so much to make them real. Avenue Q uses them For a more political reason, but as an artform they are so diverse.
I aagree with Alana, that our recent experience with building puppets definetly makes me more aware and appreciative of their use in performances. There is a lot of time and consideration that goes into the design of each puppet. I haven't seen the show and while its not at the top of my list I wouldn't mind seeing it when it comes through town.
i guess i am one of the few who never lost the love for puppets. because there are so many forms of puppetry in the world it is hard to ever loose interest in the art. in the last few years puppetry has been making its way back into the hearts of many theatre makers and goers. because of the success of shows like Avenue Q many more are tempted to go out on a limb and play with puppets again.
Whats interesting about the use of puppets in a venue like Avenue Q is the fact that even though the actor isn't concealed, about 5 minutes into the play, somehow the actor and the puppet merge into one and you don't notice two beings but truly follow the characters journey. I have always been a fan of good puppet theatre and love that Avenue Q made is in many ways main stream and something the audiences can laugh along with and love to view.
Whats interesting about the use of puppets in a venue like Avenue Q is the fact that even though the actor isn't concealed, about 5 minutes into the play, somehow the actor and the puppet merge into one and you don't notice two beings but truly follow the characters journey. I have always been a fan of good puppet theatre and love that Avenue Q made is in many ways main stream and something the audiences can laugh along with and love to view.
ps sorry for the double post...it logged mine as anonymous
I definitely feel that all too often we associate puppets as a child only thing, which can be fun to play with now. Face it, if you see a puppet on TV, most people instantly assume that it's a childish show, even movies that take place in different time periods often show puppets as a form of theatre for children. But like I said, this illusion can make things fun, as just make the insinuation that a puppet representing a more adult image, can add to how funny...or maybe serious...it is.
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