Avenue Q turns 15 years old
MULTIPLE Tony winner “Avenue Q” is reprising itself for its 15th anniversary. Original cast member John
Tartaglia remembers the 2003 opening: “An out-of-body experience. I cried. Nobody thought our little puppet show ever had a shot. We wanted this so badly. People said you’ll never get to Broadway, and we were, ‘We made it. We’re doing it.’ Everyone tried being calm but were on edge. I talked to my actress mom, who never got to Broadway — and did my prayers.
“We won three Tonys. Who thought we’d ever win a Tony . . . any Tony. We were all so thrilled to actually even just get invited to the Tonys.
“I was in it from the beginning — workshops, readings. All of us made our living as puppeteers. First tryout, 200 people, was such a hit I thought Neil Patrick
Harris would probably replace me. That night’s songs ‘If You Were Gay’ and ‘Everyone’s a Little Racist’ made it right onto Broadway.
“Puppets, like humans, get old. Tired. The city’s big blackout that one summer night when everything ground to a halt? The puppets, made with glue, were parked. Days went by before we’d start again. Heat destroys glue. So then I’m out front, doing choreography, and one of its eyes fell off.
“I was like, Oh, s - - t. I started laughing. I mean, what can you do? Nothing. So here I am onstage whipping around with a oneeyed puppet.”
“Avenue Q’s” full-eyed puppets are at Feinstein’s/54 Below for two reunion concerts on July 30.