Do you wanna feel…special? For an hour or two? Cause they can make you feel…special… if you just give them your money! It’s like the mid 00’s on retro-repeat over at Stand Up For…Theatre with their current production of Avenue Q and just like when it went up for its Tony against Wicked, we’re hoping that the *INSERT TEMPORARY THING* that they chose for the “For Now” ending is indeed just that! #IYKYK. Temporarily housed at the Howard County Arts Council’s Capital Center, SUFT has their production of Avenue Q— directed by Ed Higgins with Musical Direction by Mimi McGinniss, and Choreography by Lorelie Kahn— running through November 1st 2026 and it’s a pretty decent production that hones in on the message of acceptance which falls in line with the company’s broader mission of acceptance and anti-bullying.
You know it’s gonna be…speciaaaaal…when the program calls the director/producer the ‘set engineer.’ Good special, this time, because the set looks really neat! They’ve even get the windows on the second story-areas of the apartment buildings for the street scene. Ed Higgins’ set is both simple and serviceable whilst looking the part. There’s some hiccups with actors and their timing regarding those aforementioned windows, but when you’re wearing five production-credit hats that you’ll admit to (and goodness knows how many more, Higgins is infamous for trying his hardest with the best of intentions to assist in every component, element, and aspect of any production at SUFT) it’s easy to see how some things might slide a bit. But the aesthetic is pretty solid. AND— Rod’s wheelie chair? Because we’re leaning into clever moving minimalism for this production? Has rainbow go-go LED lights in the wheels that light-up when he rolls in prior to “If You Were Gay” and light up as he’s being shunted all around in that scene. It’s sort of perfect and a delightful little easter egg for the production.
One of the really awesome, wholly unique components of SUFT’s Avenue Q is the puppets. And no, not the primary Puppets…though they’re actually pretty par for the AQ-course. The ensemble (which features Chloe Thomson, Heather Blake, Marianne Sohn, Natalie Armstrong, Taylor Ballard, Melinda Brown, Jackie DeBella) each get their own SOCK PUPPET for group numbers! Fabricated to fruition by Chloe Thomson, these whimsical creations are an inclusive way to help the ensemble thread their way into the workings of the show. Each of the ensemble are also given a chance to showcase some of their individuality with the ‘Box Puppets’ that appear during “Purpose.” And they are hilarious! There’s one with a cigarette hanging out of its mouth, several have uniquely sized eyes, etc. It’s a great SUFT hallmark of inclusion and acceptance, which speaks to the show and the company’s mission.
The late 90’s early 00’s kids would say “for real” and I’m saying ‘for real’ there were some technical hiccups that will pave the way for growth, learning, and progress going forward, as SUFT settles into their next performance home. Lighting was troublesome…cues were a little higgledy-piggledy, but the actors to their credit pushed forth in that beautiful ‘show-must-go-on’ fashion and didn’t let some darkness, brightness, or lack-o-lightness, throw them off. There were also some musical issues, mostly singing lagging behind or getting a little ahead of the pit, but they were minor, and mostly Pit Conductor/Musical Director Mimi McGinnis was able to adjust on the fly. A live pit is always a boon when it comes to musical theatre (this one featured McGinnis on keys, and other musicians: Jackie De Bella, Steve Haaser, Tom Monroe, Jeff Eckert, Jonathan Gibson, Johnny Black Rock) and this one, though super loud in the overture/intro, managed to fall into a balance with the microphoned performers despite not being masked or hidden and that’s an impressive feat.
Where the production really sparkled was with the puppetry. Puppet Instructors Geoff Bowman and Heather Blake put some impressive efforts into working the major-character puppets in an effective fashion, really helping the audience buy into ‘actors in dress-blacks’ who were serving primarily as puppets. It’s a special skill set that’s required to make that believability gap narrow and both Bowman and Blake seem to have it and were able to readily share it amongst the cast. There was also a really impressive looping windows-swing choreography routine (choreography by Lorelie Kahn) near the end of the performance which was fun to watch and takes its inspo from the original off-and-later-on Broadway production. Bonus shoutout to Kahn for coordinating the show’s costumes and serving as the ‘right arm’ (the good one #IYKYK) of Trekkie Monster!
The talent is the real gem in this production. The aforementioned ensemble with their sock puppets in hand adding strong sounds to full group numbers. And then there’s that grumpy, curmudgeonly— well— Mrs. Thistlewat (Jessica Long) who though she only has two scenes she’s a total scene stealer. Long holds serious resting bitch face that only grows into a furious and almost feral rage reduction during her flash-scenes and it’s pretty epic. Her vocal affectation is on brand for that particular character too.
Being the polar opposite of the aforementioned Mrs. Thistletwat, you get the Bad Idea Bears! Cal Rodriguez as Blue Bear and Krystyna Graff as Pink Bear! And they are a literal scream. Bouncing, bubbly, effervescing all over the place with their bad ideas, both Rodriguez and Graff have this infectious sense of ‘fun’ that is really humorous and adds to the overall comedy-style that is the throughline of Avenue Q. See if you can catch all the different times they pop up throughout the performance, the pair is particularly exuberant when engaging with Princeton and the way they manage their respective puppets for a lively, engaging experience is wholly impressive.
If you want show-stealing, check out Amer Doherty. She’s Gary Coleman— yes she is! And she owns the fact that she towers a good two times the height of the actual Gary Coleman. Her attitude, her pizzazz, her panache, and her overall approach to making the character work (honestly, Gary Coleman is a dated reference for half of the audience coming out to support SUFT but you feel like you’ve got a fun, enthusiastic character with Doherty playing the role!) is really solid. And she’s got some fabulous vocals which lend themselves readily to “Loud as the Hell You Want” and “Schadenfreude” the two big feature numbers written for the character.
Scratch (Doug Lea) is the perfect fit for Trekkie Monster, both voice and left arm! (Lorelie Kahn is on the other arm.) And it’s a wild ride to watch Scratch engaging as the introverted, otherwise-occupied furry monster menace character. He gives good comedic timing for “The Internet is For Porn” and you’ll laugh yourself silly with his antics when he’s trying to keep his mouth shut during that number, shared with Kate Monster.
Lucy Blumberg is taking a moment to strut her stuff as Lucy T. Slut (occasionally flip-cast with the actor playing Kate Monster but in an attempt to include more performers, the roles in this production have been split.) Blumberg has that smoky longue voice perfect for singing “Special” and she walks with that saucy saunter in her step, which is sublimely on brand for this particular character. When she mouths off with Kate Monster, you’re clutching at your pearls hoping for a catfight to erupt, their tension is that intense.
Christmas Eve (Ally Ferrer) and Brian (Garrett Crouch) are two of the three humans on the avenue (Gary Coleman being the third) and they have great interactions with all of their puppet neighbors. Their cheerful, albeit quarrelsome interactions with each other feel realistic, particularly with Ferrer’s Christmas Eve nagging at Crouch’s Brian. Ferrer struggles a little bit with the way Christmas Eve’s songs are written though it’s a case of Ferrer having a pretty and more classical sounding voice when the songs are written to be a little more brassy, crass, and in that genre of more modern musical theatre. She does a really great job when interacting with Rod, and when she first takes him on as a client, the way he lays himself on top of her head like her head is the therapy couch is priceless. Her semi duet, “The More You Ruv Someone” is a great place for her to showcase her vocal talents. Crouch, as Brian, gets two separate songs to showcase his talents— the lead-in on “It Sucks to Be Me” and “I’m Not Wearing Underwear Today.” He’s got a quality sound that lends itself nicely to both of these numbers.
Rod (Geoff Bowman), Nicky (Jack Guerre, with a puppet assist from Taylor Ballard, who has the most deeply engrained facial expressions, she’s fascinating to watch!) Princeton (Jack Benedict) and Kate Monster (Kristen Demers); the quintessential quartet of Avenue Q. And you get some glorious performances out of these four individuals, particularly when it comes to highlighting the often repressed anger experienced by Kate Monster. Avenue Q is one of those shows that comes with a certain expectancy of vocal sound when it comes to these four characters and Gowman, Guerre, Benedict, and Demers delivery superbly. With Rod and Nicky, you absolutely get both the Bert & Ernie vibe as well as vocality from Gowman and Guerre, respectively. Demers does a divine job of pitching her voice in those moments to sound like any sunnily-dispositioned Sesame Street character and Benedict settles his vocals somewhere between eager-human and hapless-puppet, it’s practically perfect.
Each of the aforementioned quartet really have moments that radiate resplendently throughout the performance. Guerre’s Nicky’s finest moment hits during “If You Were Gay”, he’s all up in Rod’s face and never misses a beat, has perfect pacing, and really busts out the vocality of the number. For Bowman’s Rod, though his responses in that number are high-end hilarity, it’s “Fantasies Come True” where you really get a sense of his character capabilities. Bowman also delivers the strongest puppet-to-puppeteer connection in the production and is a gem to watch in action. Princeton has so many moments where he’s thriving in this production, though a personal favorite is when he’s doing his bit for “Give Us Your Money”, though his belt-sustains during “Purpose” are a close second. And his interactions with Demers’ Kate Monster feel wholly authentic, grounded in that nervousness of new-dating and fear of commitment. Demers, who can belt her face off all day, finds an exemplary balance between those truly sweet and sincere moments and the more silly ones. She absolutely nails “Fine, Fine Line” and brings on the waterworks from the audience because her emotional fortitude in that number is tremendous.
It’s a cute little show, a lot of laughs, but a lot of heart. SUFT’s Avenue Q rises above most of the technical challenges, all of the venue challenges, and will hopefully find their forever home as a theatre company soon. Give them your money— quite literally— and go see their show!
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission
Avenue Q plays through November 1st 2026 with Stand Up For…Theatre currently at Howard County Arts Council, Capital Center— 8360 Court Avenue in Ellicott City, MD 21043. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance online.
