Avenue Q

"Avenue Q" is a Broadway musical for adults by Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx and Jeff Whitty, staged by the Sofia Puppet Theatre with actors and puppets. With humor and good-natured irony, the show tackles sensitive topics of our time — racism, xenophobia, the gay community, the porn industry — leading us toward acknowledging and overcoming prejudice and recognizing differences. It's a cheerful parable about growing up and a sharp satire of young people raised by their parents and TV shows like "Sesame Street," who must take personal responsibility for their lives as adults. The clash with reality faced by a group of "losers" raised on the values of American democracy feels surprisingly relevant here too, delivered through an extremely funny take on life's "heavy" problems. The production won the 2018 IKAR Award for achievement in puppet art.