Avenue Q is a
musical conceived by
Robert Lopez and
Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics, and directed by
Jason Moore. The book is by
Jeff Whitty. The show was produced by and opened at the
Off-Broadway Vineyard Theatre in March 2003. The production transferred to
Broadway in July 2003 and won several
Tony Awards, including the award for
Best Musical. The show has spawned a 2005
Las Vegas production, a 2006
West End production and various
international productions. An
Australian national tour began in June 2009 and will end in June 2010.
The show is largely inspired by (and is in the style of)
Sesame Street; most of the characters in the show are
puppets (operated by actors onstage), the set depicts several tenements on a rundown street in an
Outer Borough of
New York City, both the live characters and puppet characters sing, and short animated video clips are played as part of the story.