Avenue Q was conceived of as an adult update of the classic Sesame Street, and sets out to skewer the illusions of childhood with the same formula of upbeat songs, teachable moments and (of course) silly puppets as the original. And in many ways, Avenue Q’s shortcomings mirror Sesame Street’s. Whereas Sesame Street presented an often-inadequate primer on education, multiculturalism, and how to tackle problems related to growing up, Avenue Q is a little too flippant about turning real issues into punch lines, and thereby claiming the mantle of intelligence. Continue reading →