the scenic route is long and winding

i was hesitant at first, and not a little scared. i've heard stories about how the production outfit decided to get big-name actors for box-office appeal. still, i love this musical (thanks, sarah!), and thought it was a stroke of genius to cast aiza seguerra as gary coleman.

for those who have the music burned into their brains, atlantis' production of avenue q may not be as great as expected. but i chalk that up to the fact that the spoken dialogue add little to what we knew through the music. but if you're not looking for extra revelations, you'll have fun. for those who will just hear the songs for the first time, it'll be a hoot. (thanks, dar, for helping me score the tickets!)

rachel alejandro was a pleasant suprise, exuding the most energy among the cast and playing goody-two-shoes Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut with such commitment. joel trinidad was also very, very enjoyable. he played Nicky and Trekkie Monster. felix rivera played both Princeton and Rod, although I have to say I enjoyed his Rod much more than his Princeton (maybe i'm biased, always loved Rod, anyhoo). His Rod is earnest, super sweet, yet also, well, indeed a Republican ;-) Aiza, she did good. But she seemed a little conscious about the raunchy male stuff her character has to do. Her voice lacked a little projection, too. I'm hoping I just caught her at a bad time.

The set was perfect, too. saw the bootlegged youtube video of the broadway performance last year and the local stage design was loyal as possible given the size of the RCBC stage.

My only problem didn't have anything to do with the production. It's more about the play's milieu, with some of the jokes falling a little flat. Ah well. Still, all in all, a good job!