Me Got Itchy Hand...

... said Trekkie.

He also (infamously) said: The Internet Is For Porn.

Trekkie is a monster and lives on Avenue Q. He's obsessed with porn. He's also a puppet. Clearly, not the type you'd find on Sesame Street or the Muppet Show...

Avenue Q opened in London last summer, after three successful years in Broadway and a 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical. It tells the story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who comes to New York City with big dreams and no money. He soon discovers that the only neighborhood in his price range is Avenue Q; which isn't the most upmarket of NY streets, and is about as far away from Park Avenue as you can get, but is home to some lively characters: Brian the out-of-work comedian and his therapist fianceé Christmas Eve (yes, that's her name - she's Japanese); Nicky the good-hearted slacker and his roommate Rod - a Republican investment banker who seems to have some sort of secret; an Internet addict called Trekkie (that's the one with the itchy hand); and a cute kindergarten teaching assistant named Kate. Avenue Q tells the story of Princeton and his newfound puppet and human friends, all struggling to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life.

Several of the characters are parodies of classic Sesame Street or Muppet Show characters, but the themes explored (racism, internet porn and unemployment, amongst other things) are very adult indeed. It's interesting to see puppets and actors on stage at the same time, interacting with each other. Despite the fact that the puppets are manipulated by puppeteers, who are also on stage, the end result is fantastically fluid. You almost forget that the puppeteers are there - and if you don't it doesn't matter, because their expressions match the puppets' so well, they almost become one.

Avenue Q is smart, risqué, and extremely entertaining. It's probably not suitable for those who are politically correct or easily offended by swearing and (puppet) nudity, but everyone else will love it. We certainly did!