The 2003 Broadway musical using Sesame Street-style puppets to tell adult stories about post-college unemployment, racism, pornography, and finding purpose, winning the Tony for Best Musical against “Wicked” in a shocking upset.
Purpose
“Avenue Q” opened July 31, 2003, created by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez (later of “Frozen”). The show followed recent college graduate Princeton moving to Avenue Q (the outer-outer borough), meeting puppets dealing with very un-Sesame Street problems: unemployment, sexual frustration, closeted homosexuality, casual racism.
Songs like “It Sucks to Be Me,” “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist,” and “The Internet Is for Porn” became instant comedy classics. The show’s genius was using childhood puppetry to explore adult disillusionment - the gap between what we’re promised (Sesame Street’s optimistic education) and what we get (unemployment and existential dread).
At the 2004 Tony Awards, “Avenue Q” defeated the heavily favored “Wicked” for Best Musical - one of the biggest upsets in Tonys history. The win validated irreverent, low-budget shows against expensive spectacles.
The musical ran on Broadway until 2009, then moved Off-Broadway where it continued through 2019. Its themes of millennial economic anxiety, purposelessness, and finding meaning in community aged remarkably well - the 2008 financial crisis made “It Sucks to Be Me” even more relevant.
“Avenue Q” proved Broadway could be funny, weird, and budget-conscious while still winning top awards.