A puppet show at Paper Wing Theatre? Why not?
While this 25-year-old Monterey theater is famous for its adult-oriented content, delighting in horror and bold humor, this season is full of experimentations. A Tony Award-winning puppet comedy, Avenue Q (now playing), will be followed by an even more gentle offering, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (May 8-31). But don’t worry, The Rocky Horror Show (Oct. 9-31), Paper Wing’s specialty, is not going anywhere.
It has to be said right away, that Avenue Q is a much more provocative place than Sesame Street. In fact, if you want to witness puppets misbehaving, this is your chance, even though—you guessed it—their misadventures are as human as they get: bad decisions in life, sexual frustration, identity problems, drinking and self-deception. And yes, it’s a musical.
Directed by the Paper Wing founder Koly McBride, Avenue Q is a story of a fresh graduate (degree in English), Princeton, looking for a new apartment and finding cheap housing in an everything-but-fancy neighborhood, filled with monsters and people who all struggle in their own way.
Seth Moore as Princeton is fantastic, and all the local actors-turned-puppeteers are impressive, not only operating the puppets in a convincing way (sometimes two people embodying one puppet, as is the case with Nicky and Trekkie Monster), but delivering content also with their face grimaces, which contain not only the puppet’s emotions but also provide a somewhat meta commentary on what’s going on. It feels as if not only the audience, but also the actors are “watching” the show, having fun with the rest of us.
The songs—music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx—are absolutely hilarious, as one can easily say from their titles: “Everyone is a Little Bit Racist” or “The Internet is For Porn.” Just as Sesame Street educates the youngest, Avenue Q educates the adults without them even realizing it (the best way to educate anyone), advocating for more tolerance in society, including more tolerance for the imperfection of human nature. Less political correctness is fine, the show declares.
All the cast is delightful and many Paper Wing acting regulars could be seen on stage, from Chance Freeman (janitor Gary) and Cody Moore (deep-voiced Trekkie Monster) to Laurel Lane Bowen (adorable Katie Monster) and Haley Robinson Nijmeddin (seductive Lucy the Slut). The scenic design by Art Martinez is absolutely cute.
The show was pretty much sold out last weekend; fortunately Avenue Q will be played until April 12. If you are looking for weekend entertainment, look no more. Customer satisfaction is guaranteed.
8pm Fridays-Saturdays through April 12; 3pm Sundays, March 29 and April 12. Paper Wing Theatre and Supper Club, 711 Cannery Row, Suite I (upstairs), Monterey. $38. (831) 905-5684, paperwing.com.