Market Theatre Debuts Adult Muppet Musical Friday

Greg Wilson/Anderson Obsever

“Sunny day, sweepin’ the !#@&^ clouds away…”

The Market Theatre will open “Avenue Q” on Friday, bringing the Tony Award-winning adult comedy musical to its stage with a collection of puppets locally built specifically for the production.

The musical follows a recent college graduate who moves to a New York City neighborhood and joins an eccentric group of neighbors while searching for his purpose. The  show combines human performers and puppets with satire about relationships, work and adulthood.

Noah Taylor, the theater’s founder and executive artistic director, said the production has been on his wish list for years.

“This is a show that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time,” Taylor said. “It’s just a really heartfelt, irreverent adult comedy.”

Beneath the provocative humor, he said, is a recognizable story about finding a place in the world.

“Underneath the irreverence and the satire and commentary, it’s got just a lot of heart, a story about young people looking for their purpose in the world,” Taylor said.

“Avenue Q” won the 2004 Tony Award for best musical, beating “Wicked,” which went on to become one of Broadway’s longest-running hits.

Taylor said the puppets add another dimension to the show’s comedy and storytelling.

“There are like three human characters,” he said. “But then all the other characters are played by Muppet-style puppets. So it’s almost like a ‘Sesame Street’ for adults.”

The human characters include a fictionalized version of Gary Coleman, the actor known for “Diff’rent Strokes.”

Despite its resemblance to children’s television, “Avenue Q” is intended for mature audiences. Taylor said The Market Theatre is describing the production as R-rated. The musical includes strong language, sexual content and songs addressing racism and pornography.

For the company, the production presented an unfamiliar technical challenge: creating and performing with a full set of distinctive puppets.

“No, absolutely not,” Taylor said when asked whether the theater had attempted a production like it before.

Although renting puppets is an option for companies staging “Avenue Q,” The Market Theatre chose to build its own. Director Claire Shaffer, a Greenville-based artist, brought in a costume and prop designer with whom she had worked previously to take on the project.

“We ended up building our own full set of ‘Avenue Q’ puppets,” Taylor said.

Some characters required multiple versions to accommodate costume changes or appearances in different locations during quick transitions.

Taylor said he was pleased with the results.

“I think they’re really impressive,” he said. “I’m really glad we have our own.”

The production opens Friday at The Market Theatre in Anderson. Tickets here.