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''Avenue Q'' is an American musical in two acts, conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who together, wrote the music and lyrics. The book was written by Jeff Whitty and the show was directed by Jason Moore. ''Avenue Q'' is an "autobiographical and biographical" coming-of-age parable, addressing and satirizing the issues and anxieties associated with entering adulthood. Its characters lament that as children, they were assured by their parents, and by children's television programs such as PBS's ''Sesame Street'', that they were "special" and "could do anything"; but as adults, they have discovered to their surprise and dismay that in the real world their options are limited, and they are no more "special" than anyone else. The musical is notable for the use of puppets, animated by unconcealed puppeteers, alongside human actors. Originally conceived as a television series,〔〔 the show was developed as a stage production at the 2002 National Music Theatre Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut. It opened Off-Broadway in March 2003, co-produced by The New Group and the Vineyard Theatre, and transferred to Broadway in July 2003 where it won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and spawned Las Vegas and West End productions, two national tours, and a variety of international productions. With 2,534 performances, ''Avenue Q'' ranks 23rd on the list of longest running shows in Broadway history.〔 〕〔Gans, Andrew. ("Avenue Q to Close in September" ), Playbill.com, June 29, 2009. Retrieved on 2009-06-29.〕 The show ended its Broadway run on September 13, 2009, and then reopened Off-Broadway at New World Stages in October 2009.〔. ("Avenue Is Now at New World Stages" ), avenueq.com, June 29, 2009. Retrieved on 2009-09-13.〕〔. ("AVENUE Q Headed Back Off Broadway – Show to Open October 9 at New World Stages!" ), Broadwayworld.com, September 13, 2009. Retrieved on 2009-09-14.〕 ==Background== ''Avenue Qs unique presentation requires substantially more suspension of disbelief by audience members than normal. The cast consists of three human characters and eleven puppet characters who interact as if human, ''Sesame Street''-style. The puppets are animated and voiced by actor/puppeteers who are present, unconcealed, onstage, but remain "invisible" relative to the storyline. That is, the puppets and human characters completely ignore the puppeteers, and the audience is expected to do so as well. This can be a challenge, as puppeteering mechanics are at times complex: The same puppet may be operated by different puppeteers in different scenes, and the actor voicing the puppet may not be the one animating it. (To assist in the illusion the puppeteers wear plain gray clothing, in contrast to the human characters' colorful costumes.) One puppeteer sometimes voices two or more puppets simultaneously. Conversely, the so-called "live-hands" puppets (see Puppets) require two puppeteers — again, in full view of the audience. The show draws considerable inspiration from ''Sesame Street'' and substantially imitates its format. Marx interned at the program early in his career, and all four of the original cast's principal puppeteers—John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Jennifer Barnhart and Rick Lyon—were ''Sesame Street'' performers. (D'Abruzzo returned to ''Sesame Street'' after leaving ''Avenue Q''〔"The On-Air Cast." (SesameStreet.org ) Retrieved 2010-07-01.〕). Three of the puppet characters are direct, recognizable parodies of classic ''Sesame Street'' puppets: Roommates Rod and Nicky are a riff on Bert and Ernie, while Trekkie Monster bears the distinctive voice and disposition of Cookie Monster, though not his obsession with baked goods. (The production officially disclaims any connection with either Sesame Workshop or The Jim Henson Company.〔 〕) All of the characters, puppet and human, represent "amalgamations of things and feelings (and Lopez had been ) going through personally."〔 The characters are young adults, searching for their "purpose" in life, and facing real-world adult problems with uncertain outcomes, as opposed to the simplistic problems and invariably happy resolutions faced by characters on children's television programming. Much of the show's ironic humor arises from its contrasts with ''Sesame Street'', a metaphor of the contrasts between childhood and adulthood, and between the children's TV world and the real world. The story line presupposes the existence of "monsters" and talking animals; and human actors sing, dance, and interact with puppets, both human and non-human, as if they were sentient beings, in a light-hearted, quasi-fantasy environment. (No attempt is made to explain why seven of the human characters are played by puppets, while the other three are played by actual humans.) However, the characters face real-world problems; they use abundant profanity in dialogue and musical lyrics; there are episodes of "full puppet nudity" (and puppet sex); and many songs and sub-plots address decidedly adult themes, such as racism, pornography, homosexuality, and schadenfreude. The show also employs a highly unusual plot device: a real-life celebrity inserted as a fictional character within the story. Gary Coleman, the juvenile actor who played Arnold Jackson in the 1980s American sitcom ''Diff'rent Strokes'', and later famously sued his parents and business advisers over misappropriation of his assets,〔"Gary Coleman settles his long dispute with parents." (''Jet'' Magazine, Nov 15, 1993. ) Retrieved 2010-07-01.〕 is portrayed (by a woman in most productions) as an adult, forced to accept a job as a building superintendent in the run-down Avenue Q neighborhood due to his dire financial situation. The show's creators have explained this trope as an illustration of "one of the most important themes in ''Avenue Q''...that life isn't as easy as we've been led to believe...and who better to symbolize the oh-so-special-as-a-kid/but-not-so-special-as-an-adult thing we all faced than Gary Coleman? He's practically the poster child."〔 Marx and Lopez have also said that they originally intended to offer the Gary Coleman role to Coleman himself, and he expressed interest in accepting it; but he never showed up for a meeting scheduled to discuss it.〔 Coleman later threatened repeatedly to sue ''Avenue Q'' producers for their depiction of him, but ultimately did not. When Coleman died on May 28, 2010, casts of both the Off-Broadway production in New York City and the second national tour in Dallas dedicated that evening's performances to his memory. The Coleman character remains in the show with modified dialogue.〔Itzkoff, Dave (May 29, 2010): ‘Avenue Q' Deals With Death of Gary Coleman ("Death of Gary Coleman" ) ''The New York Times''. Retrieved 2010-6-8.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Avenue Q」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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