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Jennifer Horsfield (Kate Monster) & Ben Bason (Princeton)
REVIEW: Last Night I Dreamt Of (Claire Chapman)
When one of Sheffield’s best amateur musical theatre company’s invited me to the opening night of their production of one of your favourite ever musicals, I had to be there, knowing I was guaranteed to have a great night of loveable puppets, laugh out loud comedy and unforgettable musical numbers ahead of me.
Part flesh, part felt and packed with heart, Avenue Q tells the timeless story of a bright-eyed college student named Princeton, who arrives in New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account, and has to move into a shabby apartment all the way out on Avenue Q, where he meets new friends, who together struggle to find jobs, dates and their ever-elusive purpose in life.
Everyone involved in this production should feel incredibly proud as the show hit all the high standards of the professional productions and, as someone who owns the original Broadway soundtrack of the show, I can confirm there is no differences between the quality of the musical numbers. Southey Musical Theatre Company also confirmed that not only can they produce and perform superb musicals but they can add an amazing talent for puppetry and comedy to their theatrical CV.
My stand-out performance of the night came from Mark Holmes and his puppet Rod, who were less puppeteer and puppet and more puppet and their shadow twin, both living through their experiences and emotions simultaneously and with great passion and providing my favourite ever interpretation of the character of Rod, with their chemistry with Ewan Fellows and his puppet Nicky confirming them as New York’s definite Bert and Ernie for the adult generation.
This production is also the first time I’ve seen Gary Coleman (yes, that Gary Coleman) in puppet form and it worked wonderfully, with our 2017 Best Actor in a Musical winner Adam Walker confirming he’s just as talented when it comes to comedy, puppetry and capturing Gary’s attitude and personality, as well as, in his role as the superintendent of Avenue Q, cleaning the stage during the interval.
I must also mention Ben Bason and his puppet Princeton and Jennifer Horsfield and her puppet Kate Monster who between them brilliantly captured the highs, lows and excitement of first crushes and first love, and with the current attempt to reintroduce the humble cassette will make you wish the puppet you love would make you a mix-tape too.
My favourite musical numbers of the night included “You Can Be As Loud As The Hell You Want”, not only for Princeton and Kate Monster’s imaginative naked moves but for showcasing Adam Walker’s incredible voice as Gary Coleman, which smoothly blended the soulful musical qualities of Barry White and the Chef from South Park; “There’s A Fine, Fine Line” not only beautifully showcased Jennifer’s vocal and emotional range but reminded me why I relate so much to and if could have any puppet for a best friend it would be Kate Monster; “The More You Ruv Someone” between Lizzie Yoxall as Christmas Eve and Jennifer providing the most beautifully performed, moving puppet / person duet of all time; “Schadenfreude” confirming Adam has enough fantastic stage presence for both himself and Gary and the smooth, jazz voice to be a Broadway star; and the full ensemble, gloriously feel good “The Money Song” reminding us all of the important lesson that “when you help others you can’t help helping yourself”.
Anyone who is an existing fan of Avenue Q and its residents will love this production and anyone wondering why people love this show love it so much will be converted before it’s even half way through the first act. I for one had a huge smile on my face from the second the “Avenue Q” theme began which stayed on my face throughout.
Ahead of the national professional tour of Avenue Q coming to the Lyceum next summer, this is your unmissable chance to see a fantastic professional standard production for a fraction of the price and at a smaller venue that allows to view all the puppet action in greater detail.
When one of Sheffield’s best amateur musical theatre company’s invited me to the opening night of their production of one of your favourite ever musicals, I had to be there, knowing I was guaranteed to have a great night of loveable puppets, laugh out loud comedy and unforgettable musical numbers ahead of me.
Part flesh, part felt and packed with heart, Avenue Q tells the timeless story of a bright-eyed college student named Princeton, who arrives in New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account, and has to move into a shabby apartment all the way out on Avenue Q, where he meets new friends, who together struggle to find jobs, dates and their ever-elusive purpose in life.
Everyone involved in this production should feel incredibly proud as the show hit all the high standards of the professional productions and, as someone who owns the original Broadway soundtrack of the show, I can confirm there is no differences between the quality of the musical numbers. Southey Musical Theatre Company also confirmed that not only can they produce and perform superb musicals but they can add an amazing talent for puppetry and comedy to their theatrical CV.
My stand-out performance of the night came from Mark Holmes and his puppet Rod, who were less puppeteer and puppet and more puppet and their shadow twin, both living through their experiences and emotions simultaneously and with great passion and providing my favourite ever interpretation of the character of Rod, with their chemistry with Ewan Fellows and his puppet Nicky confirming them as New York’s definite Bert and Ernie for the adult generation.
This production is also the first time I’ve seen Gary Coleman (yes, that Gary Coleman) in puppet form and it worked wonderfully, with our 2017 Best Actor in a Musical winner Adam Walker confirming he’s just as talented when it comes to comedy, puppetry and capturing Gary’s attitude and personality, as well as, in his role as the superintendent of Avenue Q, cleaning the stage during the interval.
I must also mention Ben Bason and his puppet Princeton and Jennifer Horsfield and her puppet Kate Monster who between them brilliantly captured the highs, lows and excitement of first crushes and first love, and with the current attempt to reintroduce the humble cassette will make you wish the puppet you love would make you a mix-tape too.
My favourite musical numbers of the night included “You Can Be As Loud As The Hell You Want”, not only for Princeton and Kate Monster’s imaginative naked moves but for showcasing Adam Walker’s incredible voice as Gary Coleman, which smoothly blended the soulful musical qualities of Barry White and the Chef from South Park; “There’s A Fine, Fine Line” not only beautifully showcased Jennifer’s vocal and emotional range but reminded me why I relate so much to and if could have any puppet for a best friend it would be Kate Monster; “The More You Ruv Someone” between Lizzie Yoxall as Christmas Eve and Jennifer providing the most beautifully performed, moving puppet / person duet of all time; “Schadenfreude” confirming Adam has enough fantastic stage presence for both himself and Gary and the smooth, jazz voice to be a Broadway star; and the full ensemble, gloriously feel good “The Money Song” reminding us all of the important lesson that “when you help others you can’t help helping yourself”.
Anyone who is an existing fan of Avenue Q and its residents will love this production and anyone wondering why people love this show love it so much will be converted before it’s even half way through the first act. I for one had a huge smile on my face from the second the “Avenue Q” theme began which stayed on my face throughout.
Ahead of the national professional tour of Avenue Q coming to the Lyceum next summer, this is your unmissable chance to see a fantastic professional standard production for a fraction of the price and at a smaller venue that allows to view all the puppet action in greater detail.
Mark Holmes (Rod) & Ewan Fellows (Nicky) with Katherine Rice
REVIEW: Number9 Blog (Lottie Davis-Browne)Growing up in the 80s I was a huge fan of PBS’s “Sesame Street” which (along with parents and teachers) would assure me that I was “special” and I “could achieve anything”, but flash forward to adulthood I realised they were talking garbage and that I am no more “special” than anyone else.
This is the case of recent English graduate Princeton - a 23 year old (puppet) fresh out of college who for the first time is faced with real life - having to find an apartment and find a job - despite having no real work experience. Having started his search in alphabetic order, he finds himself at Avenue Q because it’s the first street within his budget.
For those of you unfamiliar with the show it is unlike anything else you will have ever seen on stage before. Whilst a large number of the characters are puppets, there are a few human characters also. The puppets are animated and voiced by puppeteers who are present, unconcealed onstage. Those doing the puppet characters wear black clothing whilst the human characters where brighter colours and the human characters do not interact with those doing the puppet characters. Some puppets require two puppeteers to operate them - with one focusing on the animation and the other on vocals. It’s brash, uncouth and politically incorrect. Imagine Sesame Street for fowl-mouthed adults and you’re almost there!
Ahead of the touring production arriving in Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre next Spring, Southey Musical Theatre Company are performing their production at Theatre Deli on the outskirts of the city centre until Saturday 27th October, and I popped along to their opening night to see what all the fuzz was about…
I had a few pre-opening night jitters (would the cast be able to bring the puppet characters to life in a convincing way? Would there be any “puppeteering disasters?”) along with feeling a little sceptical and deflated when I found out that the usual role of Gary Coleman (a role usually played by a black female as a human character) was to be a puppet controlled by a white guy (Adam Walker) but gained some comfort in advance having had the privilege of seeing Walker in various lead roles in several different Sheffield theatre groups productions. Of course, as expected, within the first couple of minutes where we first see or hear Gary in action (“It Sucks to Be Me”) all my doubts and fears had gone and as with the real proof of any performance of Avenue Q, I soon found myself not focusing on the puppeteers but instead on the puppets themselves, and Walker most definitely was believable as the 1980s childhood actor I grew up watching on THAT famous show.
The real stand-out performers for me were Mark Holmes as Rod - a closeted Investment Banker and clean freak - along with his slacker roommate Nicky (Ewan Fellows). But it was Holmes who both vocally and in his animation of Rod stole the show, so much so I had to have one eye on his own facial expressions and the other watching his creative puppeteering of bringing Rod’s character to life. It was clear to see that Mark enjoyed bringing out is inner Diva and playing it camp!
Another stand-out performer (partly because of the lovable nature of the puppets character and that they get to sing my favourite musical number of the night - and teach us all what the internet is really for!) was Rob Flewitt as Trekkie Monster (think Cookie Monster on Crack and you’re halfway there!). Trekkie is a total pervert but at the same time you can’t help but love him! Bob brought plenty of laughs to the performance through his portrayal as the vulgar but lovable Trekkie Monster.
Whilst there were no video screens used as part of this particular production (which usually play a vital part in the story and bring the Sesame Street feel to the story), the Director (Gina Townend) had clearly thought outside of the box and worked with what resources the Company DOES have - which is a cast of highly talented performers (Theatre Deli is a dis-used retail unit on an industrial estate) to deliver the same messages that are normally delivered using the video screens.
The stage set is simple but effective, set amongst the back-drop of the run-down Avenue Q, although these houses all appear to be one storey high so some of the magic in songs such as “The Internet…” don’t quite work as well but not to the point where it distracted from the story. The cast and ensemble also have the task of bringing on any additional props throughout the story (often using the hands of the puppets to remain totally in character whilst doing so!)
The only slight negatives were the sound projection resulting in a lack of enunciation and clarity, with words and laugh-out-loud moments falling slightly short when we couldn’t always hear clearly what was being sung. I was sat at the very front of the stage close to a speaker but sadly still had some issues with hearing the lyrics - as someone who knows the lyrics off by heart this wasn’t too much of an issue, but for anybody who is new to the show it was a slight let down. Hopefully this is something minor that can be remedied for the rest of the run of the show.
Avenue Q is by no means an easy show to pull off, and whilst Southey Musical Theatre Company has many talented members - some of which I can now easily recognise in the streets from seeing in several local amateur productions - the use of puppets in a production - particularly where the puppeteer remains visible throughout the story - isn’t something Southey members are particularly experienced in - and having been lucky enough to have hired the professional UK tours set of puppets - Southey took the challenge in their stride to deliver one hell of a performance!
This is the case of recent English graduate Princeton - a 23 year old (puppet) fresh out of college who for the first time is faced with real life - having to find an apartment and find a job - despite having no real work experience. Having started his search in alphabetic order, he finds himself at Avenue Q because it’s the first street within his budget.
For those of you unfamiliar with the show it is unlike anything else you will have ever seen on stage before. Whilst a large number of the characters are puppets, there are a few human characters also. The puppets are animated and voiced by puppeteers who are present, unconcealed onstage. Those doing the puppet characters wear black clothing whilst the human characters where brighter colours and the human characters do not interact with those doing the puppet characters. Some puppets require two puppeteers to operate them - with one focusing on the animation and the other on vocals. It’s brash, uncouth and politically incorrect. Imagine Sesame Street for fowl-mouthed adults and you’re almost there!
Ahead of the touring production arriving in Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre next Spring, Southey Musical Theatre Company are performing their production at Theatre Deli on the outskirts of the city centre until Saturday 27th October, and I popped along to their opening night to see what all the fuzz was about…
I had a few pre-opening night jitters (would the cast be able to bring the puppet characters to life in a convincing way? Would there be any “puppeteering disasters?”) along with feeling a little sceptical and deflated when I found out that the usual role of Gary Coleman (a role usually played by a black female as a human character) was to be a puppet controlled by a white guy (Adam Walker) but gained some comfort in advance having had the privilege of seeing Walker in various lead roles in several different Sheffield theatre groups productions. Of course, as expected, within the first couple of minutes where we first see or hear Gary in action (“It Sucks to Be Me”) all my doubts and fears had gone and as with the real proof of any performance of Avenue Q, I soon found myself not focusing on the puppeteers but instead on the puppets themselves, and Walker most definitely was believable as the 1980s childhood actor I grew up watching on THAT famous show.
The real stand-out performers for me were Mark Holmes as Rod - a closeted Investment Banker and clean freak - along with his slacker roommate Nicky (Ewan Fellows). But it was Holmes who both vocally and in his animation of Rod stole the show, so much so I had to have one eye on his own facial expressions and the other watching his creative puppeteering of bringing Rod’s character to life. It was clear to see that Mark enjoyed bringing out is inner Diva and playing it camp!
Another stand-out performer (partly because of the lovable nature of the puppets character and that they get to sing my favourite musical number of the night - and teach us all what the internet is really for!) was Rob Flewitt as Trekkie Monster (think Cookie Monster on Crack and you’re halfway there!). Trekkie is a total pervert but at the same time you can’t help but love him! Bob brought plenty of laughs to the performance through his portrayal as the vulgar but lovable Trekkie Monster.
Whilst there were no video screens used as part of this particular production (which usually play a vital part in the story and bring the Sesame Street feel to the story), the Director (Gina Townend) had clearly thought outside of the box and worked with what resources the Company DOES have - which is a cast of highly talented performers (Theatre Deli is a dis-used retail unit on an industrial estate) to deliver the same messages that are normally delivered using the video screens.
The stage set is simple but effective, set amongst the back-drop of the run-down Avenue Q, although these houses all appear to be one storey high so some of the magic in songs such as “The Internet…” don’t quite work as well but not to the point where it distracted from the story. The cast and ensemble also have the task of bringing on any additional props throughout the story (often using the hands of the puppets to remain totally in character whilst doing so!)
The only slight negatives were the sound projection resulting in a lack of enunciation and clarity, with words and laugh-out-loud moments falling slightly short when we couldn’t always hear clearly what was being sung. I was sat at the very front of the stage close to a speaker but sadly still had some issues with hearing the lyrics - as someone who knows the lyrics off by heart this wasn’t too much of an issue, but for anybody who is new to the show it was a slight let down. Hopefully this is something minor that can be remedied for the rest of the run of the show.
Avenue Q is by no means an easy show to pull off, and whilst Southey Musical Theatre Company has many talented members - some of which I can now easily recognise in the streets from seeing in several local amateur productions - the use of puppets in a production - particularly where the puppeteer remains visible throughout the story - isn’t something Southey members are particularly experienced in - and having been lucky enough to have hired the professional UK tours set of puppets - Southey took the challenge in their stride to deliver one hell of a performance!
REVIEW: NODA (Mary Titterton)First I must congratulate Gina on what I think is her first production – may be wrong? Well done to Steve Myers & yourself. Also my first visit to Theatre Deli and I thought it was ideal for this type of show – where you need to be up close to the performers. Don’t know who it was that decided to perform at Theatre Deli but they were definitely inspired. Everyone involved must have worked very hard and certainly used their talents to great advantage with the working of the puppets. It is impossible and would be wrong to pick out any individual as they all worked so well together and they looked as though they were enjoying every minute of the show. It was a great night of sheer delight of loveable puppets, comedy and good musical numbers.
Jennifer Horsfield (Kate Monster)
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Rosie Choppin (Mrs T) with Tara Kulbatski
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Adam Walker (Gary Coleman) with Abbie Oldfield
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Ellen Hindley & Josh Holliday (Bad Idea Bears) with Ben Bason (Princeton)