You Are Not Special

Long-running PBS series (now on HBO) Sesame Street teaches children the fundamentals: ABCs and 123s, but also the principles of sharing, self-confidence and acceptance of others.

Tony Award-winning musical comedy Avenue Q — written by Jeff Marx, Robert Lopez and Jeff Whitty (an Oregon native and University of Oregon grad) — is like Sesame Street for the quarter-life-crisis set. Complete with Jim Henson-style puppetry, the show, which debuted in 2003, offers advice for getting through that tough, post-college patch.

And although, ideally, college graduates have the ABCs and 123s down, the play points out that in this period of life there’s still a lot to learn about sharing, self-confidence and acceptance of one’s self and others

Under the direction of Anthony Krall, Avenue Q is running at Actor’s Cabaret of Eugene, and it’s an utterly charming production — a lighthearted antidote to socially conservative Trumpism. ACE hits all the marks with the show: strong singing, excellent comic timing, professional staging and impressive utilization of the puppets.

Princeton, voiced by Cody Mendonca, is a recent college graduate coming to the big city to find his purpose. “What do you do with a B.A. in English?” he sings. Princeton moves to Avenue Q, where he meets Kate Monster (Tracy Knights) as well as the rest of this quirky neighborhood populated both by puppets and humans.

The entire cast is fantastic. In particular, there’s Connor Criswell’s closeted homosexual puppet Rod. And Princeton’s building superintendent is Gary Coleman, played by Chelyce Chambers. Yes, that Gary Coleman. Why? Because, why not?

And the show is absolutely stolen by Asian-American immigrant Christmas Eve (Gene Chin) and the Oscar the Grouch-style puppet Trekkie Monster (Jeremy Wilken). Both Chin and Wilken bring the house down on several occasions, particularly with Trekkie Monster’s outrageous number “The Internet is for Porn.”

A clumsy love affair blossoms between Princeton and Kate Monster, and lessons are learned, not only about self-actualization but also universal truths, such as: Life sucks sometimes, you don’t always accomplish your dreams, and everyone’s a little bit racist. (See? Left-leaning urbanites aren’t all SJW lightweights who can’t take a joke.)

And although Avenue Q is about taking the lumps of adulting, its biggest takeaway is the most important: Life and love are tough, and you don’t always get what you want. But in these things, and in many more ways, Avenue Q says you’re never truly alone. A lesson we’re all going to need to remember in the political climate of the next four years.

Avenue Q runs through Feb. 18 at Actors Cabaret Of Eugene; $16 to $47.95, tickets at actorscabaret.org or 541-683-4368.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!