Review: Avenue Q
[Shaftesbury Theatre || March 20th 2026 to January 3rd 2027 || 2h 15m]
Avenue Q’s reputation as an adult take on Sesame Street precedes it and so too does its popularity. The current West End run - its first London revival in two decades - has already been extended to January, with hints of a further extension to come. Just think, Avenue Q might yet be the inaugural show at the Dame Judi Dench Theatre! The show’s return to London feels apt, nay necessary, in the current moment, as culture tries to wrangle with a global shift to the right and an increasingly complex relationship with accountability, cancellation and the right to cause offence, so what better way to immerse ourselves back into these issues than in the company of a bunch of crude, rude and hilarious puppets singing about porn, sex and racism!
First thing’s first: this show and this production are a technical, theatrical marvel. There is so much ingenuity in the puppetry, the choreography and the staging, all of which appear so seamless in the hands (and arms) of these consummate professionals. The show is littered with so many examples of theatrical trickery and misdirection that parts of it almost feel like a magic act that will leave even the most hardened cynic in awe. That such care and attention to all of this has been devoted to a show that is, on the surface, just a silly parody of a children’s TV show, is a real testament to everyone involved, and enhances what is already an enjoyable experience into something altogether more powerful.
Likewise, the work of those on stage is extraordinary. Noah Harrison are Emily Benjamin are particularly impressive, effortlessly shifting between characters, sometimes right before our eyes, and, much like dogs begin to resemble their owners, their facial expressions and tics perfectly seem to match the puppets they’re controlling. The rest of the ensemble is great too, belting through the songs and embracing the anarchy with an infectious energy that sweeps the audience up in all of the carnage. The show moves with real pace, yet the vocals, the movements and the acting are all tightly controlled.
The book and the songs perhaps need no review from me - everyone already knows they’re good - but it’s worth noting how timeless so much of Avenue Q still is. Minor amendments have been made so that this production references modern shifts in global politics and culture but these are neither intrusive nor laboured, and the vast bulk of the show is at it was 20 years ago. The parody is so successful because it is so recognisable, and no changes are required for that to continue to be true. Yet the songs and the book remain hilarious, and the music is both catchy and intelligently written. It takes mere seconds for the show to immerse the audience into the world of the eponymous street on which it takes place and holds us there with its inventiveness and playfulness for the whole show.
Fabulous stuff.
Tickets for Avenue Q are available here.