Career Musings from Singing Puppets

Cacostello via Flickr

I'm excited to say that I'm taking my daughter to The Big Apple in a few weeks to see the Broadway musical, Annie.  While it's a far cry from the experimental, avant garde theatre of my grad school days, I am really looking forward to this mainstay of every community theatre in America.  I'd assert that even the most erudite, black turtleneck-wearing, bi-speckled intellectual might find himself humming along to one of my favorite songs in the show, "NYC:"

"N... 

Y... 

C!!!

Just got here this morning!

Three Bucks!

Two Bags!

One Me!"

Guilty pleasure, I tell you.  And I am just counting the days until I can see an orphan belting her little heart out in a ridiculous red wig. Call me nostalgic, call me philistine, but whatever you do, don't call me during the show.

While searching for Annie tickets- not cheap, mind you- I was reminded of another Broadway show I love, but would never take my eight year-old within 500 ft of: Avenue Q. I went to see the musical several years ago-it first opened on Broadway in 2003- and was smitten by the show and the brilliant performance of my friend who played the lead at the time, Howie Michael Smith.

(Side note: Howie is probably one of the funniest guys I know.  When we did shows together several years ago he never ceased to make me laugh- even when I was sicker than a dog from my first trimester of pregnancy.  Performing on stage with round-the-clock morning sickness is not an easy job, in case you were considering it.  But thankfully I had Howie to humor me and make me forget about the roller coaster constantly running full throttle in my stomach.)

Avenue Q incorporates endearing yet potty-mouthed puppets (what's not to love?!) who sing hysterically funny but oftentimes poignant songs about growing up and the difficult task of making ones way in the world.  Any show that has soul-searching, coming-of-age songs with titles such as "Purpose," "Why Can't I Go Back to College?" and, one of my favorites,  "What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?"  is right up my existential, career coaching alley.

Here's a snippet (read: printable portion) of the latter song:

What do you do with a B.A. in English,

What is my life going to be?

Four years of college and plenty of knowledge,

Have earned me this useless degree.

I can't pay the bills yet,

'Cause I have no skills yet,

The world is a big scary place.

But somehow I can't shake,

The feeling I might make,

A difference,

To the human race.

-Avenue Q
music and lyrics by Jeff Marks and Robert Lopez

So, if you're in New York and are looking to have a good laugh (or ten,) check out the Tony Award-winning show, now performing Off-Broadway. 

If you aren't easily offended that is. 

'Cause those puppets don't hail from anywhere close to Sesame Street.