It's a familiar story: 20-somethings living every day with looming rent payments, confusing romantic relationships and puppets.
That's right, puppets.
This is the story told in "Avenue Q," a Tony award-winning musical currently on a U.S. tour after meeting success with Broadway and Off-Broadway performances. It opens Tuesday at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St, and will run through March 2.
Even though he is made out of felt, most of us can probably relate to Princeton, the protagonist of "Avenue Q." As a young man, Princeton moves to a very affordable, if remote, section of New York City called Avenue Q. There he watches his young neighbors struggle with depression, money problems and other post-graduate blues.
With life lessons conveyed through puppets, is "Avenue Q" just a grown up's "Sesame Street"? Seth Rettberg, who is in the ensemble and is an understudy for the three main male roles, said the answer is complicated.
"It borrows heavily from the themes of "Sesame Street" and takes the familiar form of children's television, where kids learn everyday life lessons," he said. "But it translates it into a format for 20-somethings in their search to find their place in the world."
Even with familiar themes, Rettberg said "Avenue Q" is a show all its own.
"It is certainly not just a copy," Rettberg said. "There definitely are times when, sitting in the audience, you can see Bert and Ernie, or a Cookie Monster. It borrows those themes, but creates its own light out of them."
Trekkie Monster of "Avenue Q" may look like a familiar puppet with a sweet tooth, but his life philosophy can be gleaned from the song "The Internet is for Porn."
Rettberg said this combination of familiar childhood imagery and the real-life situations of adulthood have a special pull with college kids and post-graduates, which is unique in Broadway.
"Part of the beauty of this show is that it appeals to a generation that isn't necessarily in touch with Broadway," Rettberg said. "But we can see from productions like "Legally Blonde" that Broadway producers want to appeal to a younger generation. "Avenue Q" is successful at that."
Yet Rettberg said "Avenue Q" appeals to young viewers without isolating older theater fans.
"The show appeals to a pop generation," he said. "We all grew up watching "Sesame Street," "Mr. Rogers" and "The Muppet Show," so it rings a bell to that generation. But part of the beauty of the show is that older theatergoers and ticket holders come not knowing what to expect and may be alarmed at first with the racier parts, but by the end of the show everyone is together. The show has a good heart and everything comes together in the end."
Like its children's television counterparts, "Avenue Q" teaches the audience lessons. Instead of singing about the ABC's, viewers hear songs like "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" and "What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?"
"It touches on concerns of college students, from navigating relationships to how get the perfect job," Rettberg said.
A 23-year-old recent graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Rettberg said "Avenue Q" strikes some familiar chords.
"I'm accustomed to subletting for a long period to time, switching from couch to couch, going to auditions, and not knowing what I want to do with my life," Rettberg said. "I think in college you find yourself on a four-year plan: four years in high school, four years in college. Then you get into the real world and ask, 'What next?' There's no freshman year of life!"
According to Rettberg, after watching "Avenue Q" many audience members feel a connection to the characters on stage – even if they're puppets.
"You start feeling for the characters as puppets and this surprises people," he said. "During the first five to 10 minutes at the start of the show the audience tries to figure out, 'How do I watch the actor and puppet?' It feels like watching a foreign film with subtitles. But then they get comfortable and the actors' emotions translate to puppets."
"Avenue Q" may be show about living in New York, but young people anywhere in the country will understand it, Rettberg said.
"Even in place where city life is not so broad, it relates," Rettberg said. "There is one universal element: we all came from childhood television world. For the college-aged audience, the same puppets and characters taught us life lessons every morning."
But there is one audience that "Avenue Q" is not for: children. Don't be fooled by the puppets, Rettberg said, the show has inappropriate language and themes for anyone under 13.
"Avenue Q" opens at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts Tuesday and runs until March 2. Student tickets are $20. More information is available at the box office, (414) 273-7206.
Check out a video of song from Avenue Q on YouTube.