Pop Smart - Avenue Q at the Fox: ‘Street’ smarts

(Photos by Carol Rosegg)

The Fox Theatre seemed to sport a particularly deep shade of gray as we took our seats with younger co-workers Tuesday evening for the opening-night performance of Avenue Q, the three-time Tony Award winner (including Best Musical) that premiered in 2003. Not that an older audience is a rare thing for the Broadway Across America series, which brings the classics of the Great White Way to Atlanta along with some more recent fare.

But considering Avenue Q’s adult subject matter — an R-rated send-up of Rent delivered with an ironic cuteness a la “Sesame Street” — we figured there might be almost as many piercings as granny glasses. So when our heads cocked at the first swear word, which shot out from the performers before the seats could warm up, it became immediately apparent that this wasn’t your father’s musical — or your grandfather’s for that matter — and the contrast of the audience became clear right away. For as many hoots and hollers that rang out, there was just as much of a still silence. By intermission, we could see the younger guests laughing hysterically. The older ones looked at each other, stunned; some left.

They missed out.