"What do you do, with a B.A. in English?"
The GF and I went off to the Ahmanson Theatre on Tuesday night to see Avenue Q. I have to say, it was almost a better show than Wicked! was.
I've never seen a show at the Ahmanson, but I was not disappointed with the venue. The one thing that was a little disconcerting was the fact we were in the second balcony, second row, at the far stage-left end, and the balcony has a VERY steep rake to it. The vertigo wasn't so bad once we sat down. We had very nearly a bird's eye view of the stage. From a technical aspect, the show was a better production than Wicked! was, as it didn't suffer from the sound amplification problems that plagued the Pantages.
The show is a great one, and I highly recommend catching it as it comes through on tour. For my Bay Area friends, if you didn't see it, it's a bit late (it was in SF before it came to LA), but I have a feeling that once the travelling company completes its run, regional companies are likely to start up in the major metropolitan areas (Chicago, SF/Bay Area, LA, etc). I almost wished I hadn't practically memorized the soundtrack prior to seeing it, since a lot of the jokes are better the first time through. However, the jokes come quickly on the heels of each other, and audience laughter tended to partially drown out 1/3 to 1/2 of them. So, in that sense, I did benefit from already "knowing" the show.
The major aspect of the show that I didn't get from listening incessantly to the soundtrack was the use of the giant plasma displays. And, of course, the staging, and the slight bit of improv or locale-specific jokes.
I'm sure the show will be running somewhere in the country for at least the next couple of years. I only wonder how one specific song will have to change as of January 20, 2009.
I've never seen a show at the Ahmanson, but I was not disappointed with the venue. The one thing that was a little disconcerting was the fact we were in the second balcony, second row, at the far stage-left end, and the balcony has a VERY steep rake to it. The vertigo wasn't so bad once we sat down. We had very nearly a bird's eye view of the stage. From a technical aspect, the show was a better production than Wicked! was, as it didn't suffer from the sound amplification problems that plagued the Pantages.
The show is a great one, and I highly recommend catching it as it comes through on tour. For my Bay Area friends, if you didn't see it, it's a bit late (it was in SF before it came to LA), but I have a feeling that once the travelling company completes its run, regional companies are likely to start up in the major metropolitan areas (Chicago, SF/Bay Area, LA, etc). I almost wished I hadn't practically memorized the soundtrack prior to seeing it, since a lot of the jokes are better the first time through. However, the jokes come quickly on the heels of each other, and audience laughter tended to partially drown out 1/3 to 1/2 of them. So, in that sense, I did benefit from already "knowing" the show.
The major aspect of the show that I didn't get from listening incessantly to the soundtrack was the use of the giant plasma displays. And, of course, the staging, and the slight bit of improv or locale-specific jokes.
I'm sure the show will be running somewhere in the country for at least the next couple of years. I only wonder how one specific song will have to change as of January 20, 2009.