In it you will find updates about the 
Exclusive interview with director of Avenue Q
As mentioned in a hint a few days ago, I provide an exclusive: I don’t believe anyone else in Australian media has done this, minus the Herald Sun article linked below. (But I did also say that it was pretty generic, and wouldn’t/didn’t have the info that I’ve got) Yesterday I did an interview with the director for the Australian tour for Avenue Q, Jonathan Biggins.
WARNING: there may be some spoilers in terms of set and/or puppet design. There are no plot spoilers as far as I’m aware. Use the player above to listen; it may take a while to load. If anyone can’t seem to use the player, you can download the interview in mp3 format here (right click and use the ’save as’ function. It’s 19.4 MB in size). Make sure you turn your sound up/on!
This is the first time Avenue Q will be coming to Australia, and will open in June 2009 in Melbourne. The show will tour Australia-wide and then head to New Zealand. Jonathan discussed a lot of different things, and even gave some insider stuff that probably won’t be asked elsewhere by other media outlets; I also kept it pretty much related to puppetry.
A big thanks to Jonathan for taking the time to talk to me (and a small apology, in that my recording device cut off the start of our conversation); also thanks to Tatia Sloley who arranged the interview. I also have to say that this brought back memories of my Arts Hub days, and the nervousness of doing interviews.
Useful links: Jonathan Biggins’ biography, The Age talks about the financial crisis hitting Aussie shows, The Herald Sun talks to Jonathan too
You’ve listened to the interview, now read my review of the show.
Title image provided by Ben Sutherland
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Thanks for your review.... I'm planning on going to see the show at some point in Sydney. I went to the Broadway show last year, and was somewhat underwhelmed by the puppetry. I am a puppeteer, so I guess I'm hard to impress along those lines! It had been recast almost completely by the time I got there - and from what I hear, the original cast were fantastic. They walked the same line you describe - and were able to cross over into the life every now and then. The ads are airing now on tv...with Trekkie and Joslin telling us not to miss out on the short season.... sadly the main thing that leaps out at me is the woeful lip sync. The fact that the producers went out of there way to avoid puppeteers is an incredible shame - relegating the puppets to dollies that they wave around, more or less misses the point of the show (To my mind it's a statement on how influenced we are by Sesame Street...and little or how much it has to do with the existence we find ourselves in) Here's hoping I'll be surprised!
... Matt on Review: Avenue Q, Australian tour