A Night Of Bawdy Laughter, Off-Color Jokes: See 'Avenue Q' In Deal

DEAL, NJ — Three cheers for the Axelrod Performing Arts Center, now in its elegant home at the Vogel Auditorium inside the Jewish Community Center in Deal.

The show they have running now through Nov. 20 is "Avenue Q," and it's a raucous, bawdy live musical comedy with plenty of singing and jokes, dirty and otherwise. Some of the songs are incredibly catchy, including the very strong opening number "It Sucks to Me Be," "Everyone's a Little Racist" and the delicate "There's a Fine, Fine Line," executed beautifully by lead actress Miranda Wolf.

"Avenue Q" is known for having a mix of puppets and human actors on stage, and it's quite fun to see the puppetry. The whole point of the show is to make you feel like you're watching an off-color version of "Sesame Street" for adults: There are plenty of sex jokes, ethnic puns and even the songs "The Internet Is For Porn" and "You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love)."

While much has been made in the media about "Avenue Q's" message of LGBTQ acceptance, that is not really the point of the musical at all.

Instead, similar to the classic "The Graduate," this is the story of a young man's coming of age: At the tender of age of 22, our fresh-faced, naive protagonist Princeton moves to New York City with a college degree in English. In short order, he finds himself laid off from his job, his degree useless and unable to pay the bills.

Unable to afford any of the nicer five borough neighborhoods, Princeton is relegated to renting a shabby apartment far out on Avenue Q, where he finds himself home among a collection of workaday, middle-class neighbors: A wanna-be stand-up comedian whose wife wishes he would get a real job, a former child star now working as the building superintendent and a lonely kindergarten schoolteacher.

Just as he is, they're all trying to find love and figure life out — and scrounge up enough money to pay the damn rent.

That said, there is definitely some X-rated humor, R-rated language and homosexual themes in "Avenue Q." Patch asked Axelrod's creative director Andrew DePrisco if he had any ... inhibitions about showing provocative content like that in a conservative, religious town like Deal.

"I wouldn’t want to stereotype the Deal community. The Syrians in Deal are a diverse, worldly community that appreciate the arts" said DePrisco. "We've had many Deal residents in the audience and they enjoyed the show thoroughly. The arts and music scene in Long Branch and Asbury Park is growing, and Axelrod continually markets to these towns to attract new arts patrons to our venues and events. "

"Avenue Q" debuted off Broadway in 2007 and some of their songs and jokes may seem slightly dated for the times now. The first act is also much stronger than the second. But a very strong cast of professional actors more than makes up for shortcomings in the script.

Clint Hromsco, the actor who plays the lead character of Princeton, is a standout.

He said don't be surprised to find Broadway-caliber theater on the Jersey Shore.

"This is my first time working at a theater on the Jersey Shore and I think the programs they offer for young performers and the high-caliber entertainment they provide is extremely important for the surrounding community," said Hromsco. "You don't have to travel to NYC to receive Broadway-level entertainment."

"As an actor, I was drawn to the challenge to bring these puppets to life and effectively communicate their emotional journeys," he added. "The show has a lot of heart."

See the show:

"Avenue Q" in Deal, now running through Nov. 20. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Friday, 2 & 8 p.m. Saturdays and a 3 p.m. Sunday matinee. Tickets are $32 - $65. Use code PURPOSE to save $10. The Deal Jewish Community Center is located at 100 Grant Avenue, Deal Park, NJ 07723

Buy tickets here or at the theater the night of: https://www.axelrodartscenter....

Children under 17 are not allowed in without a guardian. Good for mature teens. This show is not afraid to make sexual and off-color jokes. One scene depicts a male and female puppet having vigorous sexual intercourse. The show is bawdy and has curse words.

Upcoming shows at the Axelrod Performing Arts Center include "The Nutcracker Rocks" Dec. 2 - Dec. 11; "Raisin," based on "Raisin In the Sun," Feb. 24 - March 12 and "The Prom," which Billboard calls “Hairspray meets Dear Evan Hansen," running May 5 - May 21.