UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – Penn State Centre Stage will present the Tony Award-winning musical "Avenue Q" from Feb. 18 to 28 in the Playhouse Theatre. Directed by Courtney Young and music directed by Roberto Sinha, the production features an exciting cast comprised of current Penn State students, faculty and established Actors’ Equity performers.
Called "...savvy, sassy, and eminently likable – a breakthrough musical" (The New York Times) "Avenue Q" is a musical in two acts, conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics, with the book written by Jeff Whitty. Acclaimed for its groundbreaking use of puppets – animated by unconcealed puppeteers alongside human actors – "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." As adults, however, they discover to their surprise and dismay that in the real world their options are limited and that they are no more "special" than anyone else.