Avenue Q
21 April 2026
Shaftesbury Theatre
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
Twenty years after its West End debut, Avenue Q is back in London, currently playing at the Shaftesbury Theatre until 29 August. But does the fuzzy spectacle hold up to today’s audiences?
Princeton is fresh out of college when he finds a shabby home on New York’s run down Avenue Q. Here he meets a colourful collection of neighbours as he navigates life, love, and friendship, and learns a plethora of lessons. The show blends human actors with puppets, like an adult version of Sesame Street, with very adult humour in this hilarious musical.
There are a few cultural updates to the cheeky humour of the show, but it stays true to its soul. The puppets are designed by Rick Lyon, the original Broadway puppet designer, keeping with the well known look of previous major productions with just one spectacular difference. Lucy the Slut now has legs for her performance at the Round The Clock Cafe, a brilliant addition that really spices up her dance act.
The set design is gorgeously realised for the narrower Shaftesbury stage, with rotating buildings and so much whimsy throughout. Another great design element is the black clothing of the puppeteer actors having little nods to the characters they lend their voices to, blending into the background enough to give the puppets focus while giving subtle nods to the characters themselves.
And what an amazing cast has been assembled for this production! Emily Benjamin balancing Kate and Lucy with precision and strong personality while impressing with her well honed vocal range, while Noah Harrison (Princeton and Rod) is tremendously expressive through his voice and face in equal measure. The rest of the cast does a fantastic job, navigating raunchy humour and life lessons in this massively entertaining musical.
Perhaps the only element that won’t hold up for younger adults could likely be the Gary Coleman reference, though this doesn’t really detract from the impact of the character. Avenue Q is surprisingly current, weaving modern references smoothly into the narrative, still bringing over two hours of explicitly hilarious content.
