Avenue Q

Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Church Street, Tuesday, September 22, to Saturday, September 26

HAVING worked on both Sesame Street and Spitting Image, puppet coach Nigel Plaskitt is perfectly qualified for his role on the hit show Avenue Q.

Taking inspiration from Jim Henson’s preschool favourite, Avenue Q is the world of Big Bird, Oscar The Grouch and Snuffaluffagus made real in modern day grimy New York City, deep in the Alphabet City area of the East Village.

Rather than a goggly eyed blue creature obsessed with cookies, Avenue Q has the porn-addicted Trekkie Monster.

The Republican Rod is having difficulty sharing his feelings for room-mate Nicky, pushing the Bert and Ernie relationship to its logical conclusion.

And along the way the audience learns new words like schadenfreude – meaning to take delight in others’ misfortunes – and that everyone is a little bit racist.

“Jeff Marx, one of the co-writers, worked on Sesame Street for a short while as an intern,” says Plaskitt, who spent his first nine years as a puppeteer working on New York’s most famous street as well as narrating ITV’s rival show Pipkins.

“It is a very affectionate look at Sesame Street, which is one of the reasons it has survived. The Jim Henson Company could see it was being done with love, rather than being nasty or vicious about it.”

Plaskitt first worked with producer Cameron Mackintosh on the West End transfer of the Broadway hit.

His company Q Puppets, run with fellow Jim Henson trained puppeteer Paul Jomain, currently owns three sets of Avenue Q characters which are hired out to this professional Sell A Door Theatre Company tour and amateur dramatics groups.

Plaskitt trains each new cast on how to use the puppets, and keeps in touch with the tour as it moves across the country to give notes.

“All the puppets are essentially glove puppets,” he says. “The lip-synching is pretty much the same style as when you are playing Muppety puppets.”

One big difference with Avenue Q and The Muppets is their performers are always onstage with the characters they portray.

“The actors and the puppets always look in the same direction and keep the same eye focus,” says Plaskitt.

“If the puppet was looking somewhere else the audience would get confused as to where the line was being delivered. We have developed that technique for this show – you soon forget there is a puppeteer there.”

Because the ages of the performers has to match that of the 20- and 30-something puppets they control the cast regularly changes with each tour.

And very few actors come with any experience of puppeteering.

“A lot of puppeteers auditioned for the first Broadway show,” says Plaskitt. “They didn’t get through the first stages because the vocal score is quite demanding.

“As well as puppeteering they have to sing and dance as well – it’s quite a tough thing to do.

“I always see a shortlist that the producers and director want to hire, and take them through a little workshop session. It’s quite a tough process to get the role.”

Avenue Q has been a genuinely pioneering show – taking puppetry out of children’s theatre and pantomime, and inspiring the likes of War Horse at the National Theatre.

Co-writer Robert Lopez went on to co-write controversial Broadway and West End hit The Book Of Mormon with South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, tackling similarly edgy subject matter.

“It brings a younger audience into the theatre,” says Plaskitt. “It’s an underlying reason to do the show – a lot of people in the audience haven’t been to the theatre, or only remember going to pantomimes. It helps establish a new audience.”

Plaskitt himself has also been behind iconic puppets including the PG Tips Monkey and worked on the latest Muppets... Most Wanted movie.

He is currently going back to his first love, children’s television, reuniting with the same team behind Pipkins 40 years on for a new show: Monty And Co.

“It will be an internet project for pre-school children,” he says. “We are looking to raise money at the moment.”

Starts Tues to Thurs 7.30pm, Fri/Sat 8.30pm, Sat 5pm, tickets from £12.50. Call 01273 709709.